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AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



OF THE 

RE V. SAMUEL HUBER, 

ELDER IN THE CHURCH OP THE 

UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST: 

CONTAINING SKETCHES OF HIS LIFE, AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE \ 
ILLUSTRATED WITH DEEPLY INTERESTING AND AFFECTING 
FACTS AND INCIDENTS, SHOWING FORTH THE WORK 
OF GOD IN THE CONVERSION OF SOULS, &C, &C. 

EDITED BY JOHN DENIG, ; , 

AUTHOR OF THE "MOURNERS' BENCH," &C. 



" The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness : come and 
let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God." 

Jeremiah 51 : 1. 



CHAMBERSBURG, PA: 

PRINTED BY M. KIEFFER & CO, 

1858. 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by 
John Denig, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the 
United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



1 ' ,Fpr sale, wholesale and retail, by John Denig, 
Superintending Agent. Price per single copy, 68f 
cents. For 73 cents, one copy will be sent by 
mail, post paid, to any address in the United States. 
A discount to Agents. 

Address JOHN DENIG, care of J. E. Kirby, 
Chambersburg, Franklin county, Pa, 

Eemittances can be made by postage stamps. 



PREFACE. 



For some years past, I have been frequently im- 
portuned to publish my life and experience as a 
preacher of the Gospel. But, inasmuch as I did not 
think that the events of my life were such as to 
warrant their publication to the world, in book 
form, I declined to yield to this solicitation until 
within a short time prior to the date of this work. 
The repeated requests of my friends have at length 
prevailed, and I have consented to publish such 
matters connected with the first pioneer preachers 
of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, as 
came within my own observation, hearing and ex- 
perience, and which are set forth in the following 
pages. 

I am fully aware, that my productions will not 
suit the fastidious tastes of some of the more high- 
ly educated preachers and people; still, as mankind 
differ much in taste and mind, some of them may 
be benefited by reading these imperfect sketches. 
It must be borne in mind, that, in my youth, the 
facilities for acquiring an education were not so 
abundant as they are now. Our scholarship then, 
was in German. Dilworth and the Bible were our 



PREFACE. 



school books. When we could read them, it was 
considered that we had passed the ordeal of erudi- 
tion. What English I learned, was gathered from 
among the people in conversation. I cannot now 
read or write English. 

Before I proceed further, I will also remark, that 
the circumstances related in this book, did not, in 
all instances, take place in the same order of time 
in which they are recorded. This confusion as to 
time, arises from the fact, that I never kept a jour- 
nal. Had I done so, I could have given my state- 
ments in a more regular order than that in which 
they are presented ; and also many additional facts 
and incidents, which would be interesting to the 
present age. Those which I have given in this 
work, except what relates to my family and a trip 
to the west, are given altogether from memory. I 
cannot now call to recollection the precise dates of 
the occurrences connected with a pilgrimage of 
over sixty years. 

Moreover, as a work of this kind must necessari- 
ly contain seeming repetitions, by recording simi- 
lar scenes on different occasions, I have, therefore, 
made abrupt digressions, by inserting articles not 
exactly in the same category with what immedi- 
ately precedes or follows. This is done to afford 



PREFACE, 



V 



variety and to prevent monotony, so that the read- 
er may not become tired out, before he gets through. 

I will state a matter here, which I wish to be 
borne in mind throughout the perusal of this work, 
so that I may not be charged with egotism, and 
that is, that in every occurrence recorded in these 
sketches, with which I was personally or otherwise 
connected in doing good, I have given the facts, 
without ascribing any merit or glory pertaining to 
them to myself in any degree whatever. I know 
that " Every good gift and every perfect gift is 
from above," and therefore must ever say, " To 
God be all the glory." 

Moreover, I must add, that some of the cases re- 
corded in this work did not occur precisely in the 
same manner in which they are stated. I have, 
however, presented them in such forms as embrace 
the sum and substance of the matter related, as 
nearly as this can be done, to be clearly under- 
stood. 

And now by way of closing this introduction, I 
will say, that this book is sent forth into the world 
without any pecuniary remuneration on my part 
whatever. My sole object in its preparation and 
publication, is to do good. I hope it may be read 



¥1 



PREFACE, 



with attention, and by that means, become an in- 
strument to promote the cause of God. . To this 
end, I have introduced into it deeply interesting 
facts and affecting incidents, well calculated to im- 
press the heart and produce emotions of a spiritual 
nature. If, however, I have, in any degree, neces- 
sarily hit a little, be assured it is done from the best 
of motives, and with the kindest of feelings. I 
cherish no ill will towards any being on earth, and 
as my earthly race is fast drawing to a close, I wish 
to leave the world in peace and good will towards 
all men. At the same time, I ask the indulgence 
of my readers with regard to the errors of this 
work, and desire the forgiveness of God and of 
mankind, for the errors of my past life. I also 
earnestly request the prayers of the Church, so that, 
after I take my departure from this life, I may 
meet many of those in whose conversion I was 
made instrumental, together with all my faithful 
brethren in the ministry and in the Church, around 
the throne above, there to ascribe the victory and 
glory of our salvation to God and to the Lamb 
throughout eternity. 

SAMUEL HUBER 

Eocky Spring, March 1st, 1858, 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Parentage and Early Life— First United Brethren 
?reachers — A Vision — First Marriage — Horse Racing — 
Convictions — Conversion. 9 
CHAPTER II. 
Commenced to hold Religious Meetings — My brothers 
Benjamin and Abraham's Conversions— Revivals near 
Rocky Spring. 24 
CHAPTER III, 
First United Brethren Camp Meeting — First attempt to 
Preach — A boaster cut down — A cross woman converted. 37 
CHAPTER IV. 
Curious Experience about two Beardy Men — Tuckaho 
Valley — Preaching to a wedding party — Several of them 
got converted. 44 
CHAPTER V. 
A Preacher dropped into a hogshead — Artificial Figure 
converted — Brother J. Russel dodging in time of meeting 
— Three men struck to the ground — Ordination. 53 
CHAPTER VI. 
Great Camp Meeting in Virginia — Spiritually blind prac- 
titioners in Theology — A preacher bit by a snake — Fall 
of a tree top on Camp ground — Narrow escape — Disserta- 
tion thereon — An English Catholic young woman who did 
not understand German, got religion under German 
preaching. 62 
CHAPTER VII. 
Camp Meeting on Overcash's ground — FetterhofPs 
Chapel — Funkstown — Revival at Plough's School house — 
Camp Meeting near Boonsboro', Md. — Became powerless 
■ — Fell down on the stand — A false report — Incident in the 
Rev. S. Enterline's life. 81 
CHAPTER VIII. 
First United Brethren preaching in Chambersburg, Pa. 
— Great revival in Otterbein's church- — Roman Catholics 
converted — A converted Roman Catholic Priest — The old 
church. 91 
CHAPTER IX. 
Bush meeting — Camp meetings in York and Lancaster 
counties, Pa. — Rum, cake, and beer Trafflcers expelled 
from the latter 106 



VIII 



CONTENTS. 



|CHAPTER X. page. 

Curious notions about external postures when seeking 
religion — Preaching in Lebanon county — New Franklin, 
Botler's school house — Prayer in a tavern— Wagoners 
scared off by it. 115 
CHAPTER XL 

Camp Meeting — A man rose up in time of exhortation 
and shook his fists at me — A fracas with the preachers — 
A lad driven from his father's house for praying — Preach- 
ers making supper on apples — First United Brethren 
preaching in Greencastle, Pa. — A. Uniyersalist cutu>* un- 
der Wm. R. Rinehart's preaching — A dust with Roman 
Catholics — Preaching in McConnelsburg — Little Cove. 125 
CHAPTER XII. 

First big meetig at Daniel Rosenberger's, Horse Valley 
—Baptism— A young woman supposed to have been drowned 
through immersion ; rose up shouting — Delegate to Gener- 
al Conference — Trip to and attendance upon it. 147 
CHAPTER XIII. 

Affecting Scene — First big meeting at Daniel Whisler's, 
Cumberland County, Pa. — Meetings in the Dutch Settle- 
ment — Tom Paine ousted — Religious Experiences — Ot- 
terbein preaching — Father Geisseman's death — Rowdies at 
a Camp meeting. 157 
CHAPTER XIV. 

Visiting the sick — Ordered out of the house at the time 
of prayer — Camp meeting on Middlecauff's land — A son 
of Belial cast out. 173 
CHAPTER XV, 

My great affliction — Funeral sermon preached before I 
was dead— Deaths of my daughter Elizabeth, Son Solomon, 
and First wife Nancy. 187 
CHAPTER XVI. 

Mother Senseny's conversion — Two Angels — Manner in 
which United Brethren big meetings were first held — Sta- 
tistics of the United Brethren Church — Four . children got 
religion by themselves. 209 
CHAPTER XVII. 

D. Funkhouser's Experience — A sinner converted on the 
day he became one hundred years old — Old fashioned 
preachers compared with the present ones — Conclusion. 225 



AUTOBIO GEAPHY. 



CHAPTER I. 

PARENTAGE AND EARLY LIFE—FIRST UNITED BRETH- 
REN PREACHERS. 

According to the most correct information I 
can obtain, my Grand Father, Christian Huber, 
emigrated from the Palatinate, in Germany, be- 
tween the years 1727 and 1736. He settled near 
New Holland, Lancaster county, Pa., from 
whence my father, John Huber, moved to the 
Rocky Spring, Franklin county, Pa., at the time 
the Indians lived near the North Mountain. 
- At one time during the Revolutionary war, 
my father hauled a load of wheat from his farm 
to Newport, near Philadelphia, where he sold 
it. On his return homeward through Shippens- 
burg, an American recruiting officer took pas- 
sage in his wagon to Chambersburg. "When 
they came to Col. Crawford's farm at the Cono- 
cocheague creek, the officer handed him a 
written paper. After reading it, he threw it 
away, upon which the officer clapped him upon 
the shoulder, saying, " I have pressed you for 
2 



10 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the army. You are my soldier." My father 
expostulated with him against the impropriety 
of his conduct, as it was not lawful to impress 
men in that way. The officer said : " You must 
either go with me, or pay so much money." In 
order to get clear, he gave him all the money 
he had, went home, and told the circumstance 
to his neighbors, Messrs. Grove, Burkholder, 
Culbertson, and others. 

In the mean time, the officer went to Cham- 
bersburg, and took up his quarters in the house 
standing on the corner of Main and King streets, 
which was then kept as a tavern, and for many 
years after that, was occupied by Peter Cook. 
The idea of a man being robbed in that way by 
an American officer, did not correspond with the 
notions of " liberty " these cultivators of the soil 
entertained at the time. Therefore, very soon, 
thirty or forty of them collected together, armed 
themselves with guns, pitch forks, axes, and 
other implements of destruction, and went to 
Chambersburg. It was in the night. They 
surrounded the tavern. The officer was in bed 
quietly snoosing at the time. One of the party 
fired a bullet into the gable end of the house, 
which awoke and alarmed him. He sprang 
out of bed, and, in his haste to escape, came 



REV. SAMUEL JIUBER. 



11 



running down stairs in his shirt, holding his 
pants in his hands. He was soon arrested, 
and returned to my father his money. He was 
then placed in irons and sent to the Carlisle 
jail, which was the last my father heard of him. 

I was born January 31st, 1782. My parents 
were members of the Mennonite Society. Be- 
fore the United Brethren in Christ preached in 
our parts, my father's house was the regular 
place for Mennonite preaching. After the United 
Brethren preachers began to preach the Gospel 
here, the Mennonite preachers ceased to preach 
at my father's house. The first United Breth- 
ren preachers, who came amongst us, were 
William Otterbein, George A. Guething, Mar- 
tin Boehm, Christian Newcomer, Joseph Hoff- 
man, John Neiding, Martin Crider, Abraham 
Draksel, Christopher Grosh, Phelix Light, 
Christian Smith, Mr. Zentmire, with a few 
others. These were the pioneers of the United 
Brethren in our parts. 

This was the only preaching place for our 
Brethren between Harrisburg, Pa., and Hagers- 
town, Md., as father Newcomer frequently told 
us. Times were not then as they now are, re- 
specting stopping places for preachers. Now 
a days, preachers can make appointments with- 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OE 



in a few hours' travel of each other. At the 
time alluded to, they had frequently to travel 
from forty to sixty miles, to reach an appoint- 
ment, and that, without even having accommo- 
dations for man or horse, excepting at taverns. 
It was not, however, because there was not suffi- 
cient provisions in the country to entertain trav- 
elers, that they had no stopping places. The 
reason that people refused to give those preach- 
ers entertainment, was : They were looked upon 
as false prophets, deceivers, and bewitchers of 
the people. 

Such indeed was the ignorance, superstition, 
and blindness of the people, upon the subject 
of true religion, that they were afraid to enter- 
tain a preacher of this sort, fearing, that if once 
in the house, he would bewitch the whole fam- 
ily, and in many instances, refusing to shake 
hands with them, for fear of becoming spell 
bound. But, as the preaching of these false 
prophets, so called, tended to create an excite- 
ment upon the public mind, different in its 
effects, from that powerless moral Theology, so 
prevalent in that dark age, curiosity frequently 
led people out to hear what these " babblers " 
had to say ; and those preachers, having been 
brought out of their old nests (religious dogmas), 



EEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



through the power of God's converting grace, 
their preaching took deep root, and produced 
results such as always attend a ministry second- 
ed by the Spirit of God. 

At one time, near the Kocky Spring, at fath- 
er Boehm's appointment, a certain Mr. W , 

being Anxious to hear what this false prophet 
had to say, after many foreboding fears upon 
the subject, at length took courage to go and 
hear him. Such, however, was his apprehen- 
sion of evil, lest he should become spell bound 
and bewitched by the preacher, that, with great 
caution, he took his seat behind the door, think- 
ing, no doubt, should he feel the moving of the 
spell upon him, he could make a rapid egress 
before he would be completely bound up. 
Whilst hearing the word preached, he thought 
the whole discourse was directed to him alone. 
He also afterward blamed my father for telling 
the preacher all about him, although my father 
had not spoken to him upon the subject. But 
such were the effects of God's word upon his 
heart, that he became deeply concerned for the 
salvation of his soul. His convictions increased 
during some months. In the fall, he had ne- 
glected to haul in his fire wood, and so was un- 
prepared for winter. A heavy snow had fallen. 
"While pondering over his situation, it was sug- 



14 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



gested to his mind that, as he had not made 
preparation for cold weather, even so he was 
also unprepared to meet death. His convic- 
tions became deeper. Feeling his wretched 
condition, he fell upon his knees, and wrestled 
with God until he found peace to his soul ; and 
afterwards his wife, and five children, also em- 
braced religion. Five of the family have since 
passed over Jordan. The remaining two are 
still on their way to Zion, giving thanks to God 
for having sent those wonderful preachers into 
their neighborhood. This is what was called 
bewitching the people in those days. Such w 7 as 
the ignorance and prejudice of the times. 

It was through the preaching of these men, 
who travelled and preached at their own ex- 
pense, preaching Christ crucified, that I first 
became alarmed in consequence of my sins, and 
future state. When about thirteen years of age, 
under the preaching of Rev. Joseph Hoffman, I 
became more deeply convinced of " sin, right- 
eousness, and of a judgment to come." Then 
I prayed to God at times, but was in a great 
measure carried off from Him through the follies 
of youth. My convictions, however, did not 
leave me altogether. Sometimes I w r ould pray 
and then sin again. 

At another time, under father Newcomer's 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



15 



preaching, God sent another arrow home to my 
heart. I felt awful. The thoughts of death 
and judgment produced alarming emotions in 
my soul. These emotions again, in a great 
measure, wore oft*. Fondness for youthful com- 
pany repeatedly drowned them. Sometimes I 
would leave off my company, resolving never 
to sin again, and lead a new life. But I was 
bound fast by the chains of sin. I had no peace 
of soul. Although I was not habituated to the 
use of profane language, yet I was fond of 
worldly and sinful company and pleasures ; and, 
by this means, I was prevented from seeking 
the Lord with all my heart. In this state of 
mind I continued to grow up to manhood. My 
life and experience corresponded with that of 
the poet, when he said : 

**'Now I repent and sin again, 
Now I revive and now I'm slain, 
Slain with the same unhappy dart, 
Which 0, too often wounds my heart." 

At one time, during my convictions, there 
was presented to my mind, in a vision, a view 
of heaven and of hell. I thought I saw heaven 
in its beauty. I beheld the saints, clothed in 
white raiment, in a state of inexpressible hap- 
piness. They appeared to be standing in ex- 
tended rows, with uplifted hands praising God. 
There was an appearance similar to a flight of 



16 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



stairs. The older saints were on the top, while 
the younger ones were standing on the lower 
steps ; the whole presenting a scene of beauty 
and happiness beyond description. There ap- 
peared to be two ways or roads, the one leading 
to a state of bliss, and the other down to a bot- 
tomless pit. As the righteous passed by me, 
they went into the society of the just. As the 
wicked came on, they turned to the left. Their 
movements were as vivid as lightning, and they 
plunged into a pit of darkness. I looked down 
into the pit, and saw them in extreme torment, 
being in constant agitation and misery. They 
appeared like a den of serpents, crawling over 
and around each other. Their condition seem- 
ed horrible in the extreme, being in torments, 
cursing each other, and blaspheming the name 
of God. Deep groans and lamentations were 
heard in tones of wo ! wo ! wo ! in consequence 
of their having rejected the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ. This vision made a deep impression on 
my mind, respecting the future state. 

In the year 1805, about the twenty-fourth 
year of my age, I went to Winchester, Virgin- 
ia, where I formed an acquaintance with Miss 
Nancy Weaver, daughter of Mr. Abraham 
Weaver, residing near that place, and to whom 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



17 



I was married on the 10th day of June, 1806, 
by the Rev. Mr. Hill, Presbyterian minister at 
Winchester. 

During my stay in Virginia, I became addict- 
ed to horse-racing. To such an extent was this 
the case, that I was drawn away by that kind of 
sport, in the face of all considerations against 
it. My convictions and religious impressions 
were nearly overcome by such worldly amuse- 
ments. After some time I removed back to 
Eocky Spring ; but such was my propensity for 
horse-racing, that, on pretext of visiting my 
father-in-law in Virginia, during horse-racing 
times, 1 went there three years in succession 
to the races. Strange to say, notwithstanding 
all the operations of God's Spirit upon my heart, 
I yet took delight in spending my time in such 
places, where the devil has full sway. Gamb- 
ling, drinking, cursing, swearing, fighting, are 
the characteristics of the field, carried out to 
their full extent. Here the devil reigns tri- 
umphantly. Under the influence of intoxica- 
ting drinks, and even without that, men's 
minds are subverted and brought to submit to, 
and practice all manner of evil. " Wo to the 
wicked, for it shall be ill with them." 

In the fourth year of my horse-racing career? 



18 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



I Lad attended the races near Chambersburg 
for two days. On the morning of the third day 
as I was leaving home for the race ground, my 
wife asked me: 

" Are yon going to the races ?" I replied, 

" Yes, I am." She responded, 

"Don't you know that Joseph Hoffman is to 
preach at your mother's house to day?" I 
answered, 

" Yes ! I do know. You may go to the meet- 
ing ; but I will go to the races." With tears in 
her eyes, she rejoined, 

" If you go on in this way, you will become 
a ruined man, body and soul." 

This rebuke, coming from a beloved wife, 
who then had no religion, but otherwise was of 
good moral character, sent daggers into my 
heart, causing very uneasy feelings. However, 
I went. When I came to my mother's house 
on my way, she enquired of me : 

" Where are you going ?" I answered, 

" To the Chambersburg races." She rejoined, 

" You will rue that some day, perhaps when 
it is too late." 

I kept on my way. When about one mile 
from Chambersburg, I met Joseph Hoffman. 
Fearing a rebuke from him, I gave my horse 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



19 



the whip, turning my face in an opposite direc- 
tion, thinking, that after passing him, I would 
be safe. "When I arrived on the race ground, 
the devil had his servants fully at work. There 
was fighting going on in full play. I remained 
on the ground till towards evening. After 
taking a drink, while in the act of mounting 
my horse, like " Saul of Tarsus," I was smitten 
with a stroke of divine power, similar to a flash 
of lightning. The scales fell from my eyes. 
They were opened. I saw at a glance, that all 
these people, with myself, were on the broad 
road to hell, " with all the nations that forget 
God." The alarming thought of losing my 
soul was impressed upon my heart with a pow- 
er, such as I never felt before. I made a halt 
in the midst of my mad career — pondered — and 
resolved to pursue this course no longer. In com- 
pany with some of my comrades, 1 rode towards 
town. Intending to leave them, I slacked my 
pace, riding somewhat in the rear, took a differ- 
ent route, and rode home. But I was wretched, 
and filled with feelings of remorse, on account 
of the state of my soul. I knew I had so fre- 
quently grieved the Spirit of God, that I de- 
served to be sent to hell. 

I now began to pray and call upon God for 



20 



AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 



mercy in good earnest. It was suggested : 
" You have sinned so long against light and 
knowledge, that your day of grace is gone. You 
are a reprobate, and may as well continue in 
your old course. There is no mercy for you." 
But I continued to seek God. I read the Bible 
with eagernesa, looking for some promise of 
mercy there. The promises to the penitent I 
could not apply to myself. Its denunciations 
against the wicked fell heavily upon my guilty 
soul. I could not believe that such an unwor- 
thy, guilty, wretched sinner, as I felt myself to 
be, could obtain mercy. Still, I could not give 
up, I continued to pray. 

"Approach, my soul, the mercy seat, 

Where Jesus answers prayer ; 
There humbly fall before His feet, 

For none can perish there." 

In this state of mind and feeling, I continued 
for nearly two years ; sometimes praying in 
the woods, in the fields, in the house ; groan- 
ing, crying—" chattering like a swallow, and 
moaning like a dove." My constant prayer 
was : " Lord save, or I perish — save or I sink 
into hell." Fully determined not to give over 
the conflict, I resolved, that, if I must perish, I 
would perish at the feet of Jesus, crying for 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



21 



mercy ; and also determined, at all events, never 
again to serve and do the works of the devil, as 
I had formerly done. 

In this unhappy state I continued until Au- 
gust, 1813. One morning I went out with the 
mowers to mow grass in the meadow. After 
returning to the house for breakfast, I told the 
hands to go to work without me ; for I could 
not go with them, in consequence of my deeply 
excited feelings. I told them I thought I should 
not live much longer ; that the wrath of God 
was upon me. My sins, a burden too intoler- 
able to be borne, felt like mountains ready to 
press me down. I spoke from the depth of my 
heart in prayer : 0 Lord, if thy justice requires 
my damnation, it is just, and if I must perish, 
send me to hell, rather than permit me to live 
longer in sin, as I have heretofore done. In 
this depth of horror I cannot live much longer. 
If there be mercy, for Christ's sake, let me feel 
it ; or if not, cut me down as a " cumberer of 
the ground." 

I went into the woods, fully resolved to fast 
and pray one day more. While I was walking 
in the woods, bemoaning my wretched condi- 
tion, in extreme agony, a voice said to me plain- 
ly, " There is yet mercy for you. 97 It was the 



22 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



voice of mercy, in the distance, portending a 
sudden change. Hope sprang up in my soul. 
I cried out, " Yes! thank God, there is yet mercy 
for me. Here, Lord, I give myself soul and 
body, into thy hands. Do with me as seemeth 
thee good." The instant I thus gave myself up 
to him, God spoke from his mercy seat, through 
the "whirlwind," and the "storm." A ray of 
light, bright as the sun at its meridian, vivid as 
the lightning flash — powerful as the arm of the 
Lord revealed — shone into my heart. All my 
horror, guilt, doubts, and fears were gone. 
" Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven 
thee," was spoken to my heart. Unspeakable 
joy filled my soul. The heavens — earth — trees 
— leaves — appeared a new creation. I went 
forth praising God, adopting the language of 
the Poet : 

" Break forth into singing, ye trees of the wood, 
For Jesus has brought " Samuel Huber 4 4 to God." 

In this state of rejoicing, I continued in the 
woods about four hours. When I returned to 
the house, my wife asked me, 

" Where have you been so long ?" I an- 
swered, 

" In the woods, where I found Him of whom 
Moses in the law, and the prophets did write." 
She looked at me with surprise. I said, 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



23 



" You need not think that I am beside my- 
self. I feel myself the happiest man that ever 
lived." 

In this happy state I continued two years. I 
had the world and the devil completely under 
my feet. The evil spirit did not tempt me, 
" finding nothing in me." My daily song was, 

"How happy are they, 

Who their Saviour obey, 

And have laid up their treasures above." 

Sometime after I had obtained mercy, my 
w r ife got under conviction for her sins. I told 
her to pray on ; that the blessing of pardoning 
mercy was free for her and for all that would 
repent and turn to God ; that she should give 
up her soul into God's hands at once, and not 
confer with flesh and blood, &c. She had been 
well instructed in religious principles. By 
reading " Fletcher's Appeal," she was convinced 
that, to obtain God's mercy, it was necessary to 
give up the heart to Him at once, without go- 
ing about to establish her own righteousness. 
At one time, in my absence, while she was 
reading in that w r ork a case suited to her own 
state, she dropped the book, kneeled down to 
pray, and in an instant her soul was set at liber- 
ty, and she rejoiced in God her Saviour. We 



24 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



now set out together in newness of life, fully 
determined, through, grace, to " spend and be 
spent for God." 



CHAPTER II. 

COMMENCED HOLDING RELIGIOUS MEETINGS. 

Having thus set out to serve the Lord, my 
conduct and conversation were different from 
what they had been, when I was a horse racer. 
Then, my theme was all about such matters 
and things. I owned a horse, which generally 
beat the field in scrub races, and being a ring 
leader of the turf, my conversation and actions 
corresponded with my character. But now, as 
God had turned my heart from nature to grace, 
my thoughts, feelings, and actions, had taken 
another course ; and, as I had been such an ac- 
tive instrument in doing the devil service, I 
felt it my duty to use all my powers, soul and 
body, in God's service. I was determined, 
through grace, to do the devil all the harm I 
could, having bidden him an everlasting fare- 
well, by endeavoring to bring sinners from the 
error of their ways into the service of God. In- 
fluenced by such motives, my conduct was reg- 



EtEV. SAMUEL HUEER. 



25 



ulated accordingly, and through God's blessing, 
I was made instrumental in doing good within 
the sphere in which I moved. There were sev- 
eral domestics living in my family, two of whom, 
young women, shortly after my wife's conver- 
sion, embraced religion. Thus a family, who, 
a short time before, had been in the devil's ser- 
vice, was now set free, moving heavenward. 

One Sunday afternoon, in the summer of 
1814, as my wife and myself were sitting to- 
gether, on the porch of our house, there were a 
great many young men and girls spending the 
Sabbath in playful frolics within sight of us. 
I asked her, 

" Do you think that God is satisfied with us, 
sitting here doing nothing for his cause, while 
so many are running to ruin in the neighbor- 
hood through their wickedness ?" She an- 
swered, 

"What will we do? We cannot prevent 
them doing so." I said, 

" If God spares me until to-morrow morning, 
I intend to go to Chambersburg and see if I can 
get a converted man to come here to hold meet- 
ings and talk to the people. I don't want an 
unconverted one. "We have too many of that 
kind of religionists in the neighborhood al- 
3 



26 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QP 



ready. We want, a man who has been eon- 
verted and enjoys true religion, and can preach 
from his own experience." 

Next morning I went to Chambersburg and 
called upon brother Jacob Braiser, who then 
was an Elder in the German Reformed Church, 
and had been converted, as I had been inform- 
ed. I requested him to come and hold meeting 
in my house. He said " he was no preacher, 
but would read a chapter in the Bible, sing, 
pray, and talk to the people, and warn them to 
flee the wrath to come." An appointment was 
made for him to hold a meeting in my house, 
and as the news of my conversion had, prior to 
this time, been carried upon the wings of the 
wind through the country, great was the talk 
about it. Some took me to be a deluded being. 
Others looked upon me as a well meaning but 
deceived man, bewitched by the false prophets. 
Others enquired about Huber's new doctrines, 
of which the respondents knew as little as the 
questioners. So there was a general turn out 
of the folks. The house could not contain the 
twentieth part of them. All were anxious to 
see what this Huber, formerly a ring leader 
among horse racers, was about to do, since he 
had forsaken his former master, the devil. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



27 



Brother Braiser attended the appointraent. 
He read part of the Scriptures, and spoke to the 
people, who paid great attention to what was 
said ; after which the meeting was closed ; 
many going away wondering how these things 
would end. This was the first public religious 
meeting held in my house. Another appoint- 
ment was then made by brother Braiser, for the 
following Sunday, at 10 o'clock. In the inter- 
val between these two meetings, the opinion 
had gone out, that Huber's meetings were not 
so dangerous to the community, as was at first 
supposed. A more favorable opinion, respect- 
ing my motives, had obtained among some. 
When brother Braiser came the second time, a 
large audience was in attendance. After sing- 
ing and prayer, he read a portion of Scripture, 
and exhorted. Unusual attention was given by 
the people. He then made another appoint- 
ment for the next Sunday evening. 

After this second meeting was dismissed, my 
brother, Benjamin, invited me to his house the 
same evening. Accompanied with my wife 
and one of my hired girls, who had obtained 
religion, we paid him a visit. On the way, I 
retired into the woods, fell upon my knees, be- 
seeched the Lord to give me grace, andenlight- 



28 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



en my mind, so that I might instruct my broth- 
er and his family. 

After we arrived at the house, he interrogated 
me respecting my religious experience, "Wheth- 
er any particular change had taken place in my 
heart ?" 

I told him, " Yes, there had " — gave him an 
explanation of my former and present state and 
feelings, and added, that, unless he would come 
to experience a change of heart, he would be 
lost. 

We sung a hymn. At its conclusion he fell 
upon his knees and cried out, "Let us pray." 
We then kneeled and prayed. After some time 
thus spent, my wife, myself, and girl, who came 
with us, arose from our knees. He remained 
on his, still imploring for mercy. We knelt 
again in prayer. 

After we rose up, and were singing, his soul 
was blest. He then rose and walked about the 
house rejoicing, and inquired, " Whether the 
house had turned around," saying, " It appear- 
ed so to him." I told him "his heart had been 
turned around and created anew. The house 
stood as formerly." It was a new and strange 
scene to me, that my brother should ask me to 
pray for him in public, and openly express his 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



29 



feelings, and "get religion " in so short a time, 
when I had to struggle under the pangs of the 
new birth, for nearly two years, before I was 
born again ; and then it was in secret, in the 
woods, no person being present at the time. 

Such a thing as calling out mourners to be 
prayed for, was not known among us then. I 
had not been present at the conversion of a soul, 
save that of my own, prior to this time. There- 
fore, it appeared marvellous in my eyes, and 
more so, inasmuch as I was then only a babe 
in Christ, knowing but little of the ways of 
God with man. Since that time, however, I 
have become more experimentally acquainted 
with such matters, and have long since ceased 
to wonder at outward demonstrations upon reli- 
gious- subjects. As we progress in religious 
knowledge, we become more acquainted with 
the operations of the Holy Spirit. 

But to return to the meeting which brother 
Braiser had held on Sunday at 10 o'clock, in 
my house. My neighbor, J. E., went home 
from there, reflecting upon Braiser's exhortation 
and the object " Huber " had in view, by having 
such meetings in his house. After he retired 
to bed, he dreamed, that the day of judgment 
had come ; that the whole world was on fire— 



30 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY Of 



the earth, quaking — and his house sinking down. 
In his dream he jumped out of bed — fell upon 
the floor — awakened out of sleep — but contin- 
ued lying upon the floor in agony, crying for 
mercy until four o'clock next morning, when 
God revealed himself to his soul in forgiving 
mercy. 

During the same morning on which this oc- 
curred, he came over to my house. I said, 

" Good morning, Jacob." He replied, 

"Yes; good morning. Indeed, Sir, this is 
the best morning I ever enjoyed in my life. 
God has blessed my soul." 

I told him, that my brother Benjamin had 
experienced the same blessing last night, and 
that, on next Wednesday evening, there was 
to be a religious meeting at his (Benjamin's) 
house." 

The meeting took place, and such was the 
increasing religious excitement, that people of 
almost all denominations came to it. Among 
the crowd of hearers, there was a number of 
new converts, Abraham Wingert, A. Crider, 
John, Jacob, and P. Zolliberger, with many 
others. 

On the following Sunday evening, according 
to appointment, the meeting was held at my 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



31 



house. Brother Brasier did not come, The 
house was crowded with people. I told them, 
that, as we were disappointed in a speaker, we 
should sing and pray. After this was done, the 
people continued on their seats in silence, and 
there being no other person to address them, 
for the first time in my life, I commenced speak- 
ing to a congregation. "Whilst doing so, I felt 
the Spirit of God moving my heart. The word 
took effect. Tears began to flow from many 
eyes. Some began to cry out, and pray for 
mercy, and fell upon their knees. This gave 
me great encouragement to speak in this way. 
I felt my unworthiness, fearing to speak in pub- 
lic, in consequence of my ignorance in such 
things. 

I had frequently before this, besought the 
Lord to give me some company in the way to 
Zion. But at this time, he gave me such a man- 
ifestation of his grace, that I took up the cross, 
being convinced that a dispensation of the gos- 
pel was committed unto me. Although it was 
with much weakness, fear, and trembling, that 
I spake, there was here an evident demonstra- 
tion, that God inspired and owned his word, 
through such a weak and unworthy instrument 
as I was. So I felt it to be my duty, to speak 



82 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY Oi 1 



on in his name. After this first attempt to 
speak publicly, I gave out appointments to hold 
meetings. We held from two to three meet- 
ings a week, and the w r ork of the Lord went 
on rapidly— sinners convicted-— mourners con- 
verted — new converts established in the faith ; 
and an increasing religious excitement took 
place in the neighborhood. 

About this time, my brother Abraham was 
reconciled to God. We had a meeting in his 
house. The Rev. John Sneider, from Sher- 
man's valley, attended. He was one of that 
kind of gospel pioneers, who did not think it 
too much to travel from twenty to thirty miles 
to hold a meeting, in order to get souls con- 
verted. He preached for us that time. 

After preaching, I spoke out : " We ought 
to sing and pray again." Sneider replied, 
"Yes ! that's right." I gave out a few verses, 
sung and prayed, after which I called upoa 
brother Balsar Basehore to pray. This request 
took him by surprise, inasmuch as he had not 
prayed in public before. But, being deeply 
affected at the time, he commenced in such 
strains of effort, that the deep emotions of his 
heart broke through his vocal powers, like the 
rushing of water through the opening of a flood 



KEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



33 



gate* His prayer was effectual. It took deep 
root in my brother Abraham's heart, who was 
kneeling at Basehore's side at the time. In an 
instant, my brother sprang upon his feet and 
then fell upon the floor. This he did twice in 
succession. The third time, attempting to rise 
up, he fell upon his back, his head resting upon 
a bench and his feet extended on the floor. In 
this condition he remained for some length of 
time, stiff and powerless. After going through 
this process, he rose up, giving God thanks for 
his mercies. 

Meetings continued to be held at his house. 
He afterwards became a preacher amongst us, 
and continued to preach the Gospel for many 
years, until he was afflicted with a cataract in 
his eyes, when his physician advised him not to 
exert himself in that way, as it would be inju- 
rious to him. Since then he moves in a more 
private life ; but is still on his way heavenward. 
After some time, his wife and two of his daugh- 
ters, embraced religion. 

Thus, whilst the work of God was progress- 
ing, and the devil's kingdom destroyed in many 
hearts, my soul rejoiced in God. I felt heaven 
within me, and was deeply humbled and grate- 
ful, to think that God should have selected such 



84 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

a sinner as I had been, as an instrument in his 
hands, in aiding to promote his cause. 

The report of such religious revivals spread 
throughout the country, like the rolling of thun- 
ders heard far away in the distance. It reached 
the ears of many of the United Brethren preach- 
ers, who lived at a distance from us. Some of 
them buckled on their armor and came to the 
help of the Lord against the mighty. Amongst 
them were Jacob Bowlus, Presiding Elder, J. 
Crider, Abraham Meyers, David Snider, Mi- 
chael Bear, Henry G. Spayth, together with a 
number of others. They came and preached the 
Gospel. God seconded their ministry with 
signs following. Old and young, men and 
women, experienced the new birth — and pray- 
ed and prophesied. The old dogma, " that wo- 
men should keep silent in churches," was lost 
sight of. Old women and young girls, when 
their souls w T ere blest and made happy, would 
break forth into singing— shouting — praising — 
exhorting — -prophesying— and talking about the 
Saviour in public congregations, to the utter 
consternation of old dry Pharisees, who beheld 
this new way with horror and dismay. 

Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Joel, 2 i 
28, 29, " And it shall come to pass afterward 



KEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



85 



that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophe- 
sy, your old men shall dream dreams, your 
young men shall see visions. And also upon 
thy servants and upon thy hand maidens in 
those days, will I pour out my Spirit." And so 
it was here, and became marvellous in the eyes 
of formal professors of religion. 

One time, when in conversation with two old 
men upon the subject of religion, a certain mor- 
alist, yet a great controversialist, whose heart 
had not been changed by grace, approached us. 
After giving attention to our conversation for 
some time, he said, 

" Tour professors of religion are all good for 
nothing ; they are all hypocrites." I replied, 

" Not all, Sir. There are some good persons 
among them. But, according to your views, 
the disciples of our Saviour were all good for 
nothing, because one of them became a devil." 
I then asked him, 

" Have you had any counterfeit money in 
your time ?" He answered, 

" Yes." I replied, inquiringly, 

" Suppose you had a five dollar counterfeit 
among one hundred dollars good money, would 
you throw away the whole on account of the 
bad ?" He answered, 



36 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



"No." I replied, 

" Good money will pass anywhere, and so 
will a good Christian, although there are some 
bad professors of religion, 'A good tree is 
known by its fruit.' So a good Christian is 
known by his walk and conversation. " I con- 
tinued, 

" You admit, that there is frequently cheat 
and cockle among good wheat." 

He answered in the affirmative. I replied, 

" We farmers are not the men, who throw 
away the good wheat, because there is some 
cockle among it. But we separate the cockle 
and cheat from it, and then use the wheat for 
making good bread. According to your doc- 
trine, however, you throw away the good, be- 
cause there is some bad among it. jNow when 
we sow the seed of the word, it falls promiscu- 
ously 6 on the way side ' — 6 stony places ' — 
' among thorns ' — and 4 on good ground,' from 
which spring up both good and bad professors 
of religion ; and so we let them grow together 
until the sifting time arrives, when the good 
shall be separated from the bad." 

I advised him to get religion, and not to 
trouble his brain about other people's failings, 
but to live a holy life and give a good example 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



3? 



to others ; referring him to Matthew 13, chap- 
ter throughout, but particularly to the 24th and 
and 27th verses. He said no more — remained 
silent and went off. Afterwards one of the 
old men remarked, that he, meaning the con- 
troversialist, had met his match this time, and 
I had served him right. 



CHAPTER IH. 

MEETINGS CONTINUED FIRST CAMP MEETING NEAR 

ROCKY SPRING. 

I now return to the revival meetings mention- 
ed in my last chapter. Meetings were held at 
brother Benjamin's, Abraham's and also at 
Balsar Basehore's, and other places in the 
.neighborhood, as well as at my house. Preach- 
ers of other denominations than those of the 
United Brethren, preached for us, such as the 
Eiver Brethren, Dunkards, Methodists, Presby- 
terians, Lutherans, Mennonites, &c. When 
God converted my soul, he gave me that love 
which enabled me to unite with all his true fol- 
lowers. Love to all mankind, and hatred to 
none ; " Prove all things, hold fast that which is 
good," was my motto. 

The first Camp Meeting which the Church of 



38 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the United Brethren in Christ held, was on my 
brother Abraham's land, near the Rocky Spring, 
at which many sinners fell down, through the 
power of the word preached, as if dead, but 
rose again, shouting victory. Some time after 
this camp meeting, there was a large meeting 
held near brother Abraham's house. Amongst 
the preachers who attended, were A. Meyer, 
Presiding Elder, H. Kumler, J. Crider, and A. 
Draksel. Brother Draksel preached on Sunday 
forenoon. The word took deep root. Many 
were slain of the Lord. Souls w r ere made hap- 
py — and much good was done at this meeting. 

Protracted, or "Big meetings," were held 
then, differently from what they are uow. Com- 
mencing on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock, 
they were continued until the following Sunday 
afternoon. Sacrament was then administered,, 
after which the meeting was closed, and the 
people retired. Many of them with hearts fill- 
ed and glowing with divine love, frequently 
parted with shouts of joy, while sympathizing 
tears rolled down their cheeks. 

, Toward the close ot this meeting, God gave 
me such a spiritual blessing, that I was over- 
powered by it, soul and body. I fell and lay 
upon the ground for some length of time. After 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



39 



I came to myself and rose up, I felt an inex- 
pressible degree of happiness, which constrain- 
ed me to offer myself anew to my heavenly 
Father — " to spend and be spent " in his service; 
and I resolved, through his grace, to speak more 
frequently in public, depending on Him for 
help and strength in every time of need. It 
must be borne in mind, that heretofore I had 
not preached. At one time I was requested by 
a person to preach a funeral sermon. I replied, 
that "I did not think myself capable of doing 
so, although I had frequently delivered exhor- 
tations." He said, that, " If I did as well at 
preaching, as I had done at exhorting, he would 
be satisfied." This gave me more encourage- 
ment. I took up the cross, and tried to preach 
accordingly. 

Somd time after this, I was called upon again 
to preach, upon the death of a young lady. I 
s;ave the same answer as before, not thinking 
myself called to preach, but only to exhort. 
The applicant answered, that he had heard me 
preach a funeral sermon, and was satisfied with 
it. He repeated his request. After some hes- 
itation, I complied. But notwithstanding these 
repeated calls to preach, I had many doubts and 
fears upon the subject, feeling my own insuffi- 
?iency for such a responsible work. 



40 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



At length I resolved to make another trial, 
hut out of my own neighborhood. Heretofore 
I had not officiated out of it. Accordingly, at 
the request of brother David Fleck, a young 
man who had been converted in mv house, I 
went with him to Amberson's Valley. We went 
there through a deep snow. When we arrived 
at his father's house, the father asked me, 
""What brought you over here." I replied, "I 
came to hold meeting in your house this night." 
He sent his youngest son on horseback, to in- 
vite the people to come to meeting. About 
eighteen persons attended. I opened the meet- 
ing with singing and prayer, and then deliver- 
ed an exhortation. After this, we continued to 
sing and pray, during which time five persons 
remained on their knees, being under convic- 
tion, crying for mercy; and before the meeting 
concluded that night, the mother of the family 
and two of her daughters, were made happy ir. 
a sin pardoning God. On this occasion, rnj 
doubts respecting my call to the ministry, were, 
in a great degree, removed. I had a stronge] 
evidence of my call to preach the Gospel thar 
ever before, seeing that God worked with sucl 
a weak instrument as I was. 

After this, I was invited by brother Johr 



REV. SAMUEL HUEER* 



41 



Bear to preach at his house in Path Valley. A 
young man, Mr. B. M., having some notions of 
his own about preaching, went ahead before 
the meeting day, telling the people, " that 
Huber was coming there to preach ; but he 
would show them, that he could beat him preach- 
ing." With this kind of talk and blowing, he 
created an unusual excitement and curiosity in 
the minds of many of the good people in the 
valley. At the time appointed, I arrived. The 
meeting took place in day time. B. M. was 
the first person who came to it. A large turn* 
out, of course, took place. He took his seat 
beside me. After the meeting had commenced, 
in the usual manner, I began to preach, and 
after proceeding some time, B. M. got under 
conviction. He placed his head between his 
hands, his elbows resting upon his knees, and 
began to tremble like a man with the ague, 
crying out lustily in prayer for mercy. I clap- 
ped him on the shoulder, and told him to pray 
on, which he did for some time. After meeting 
closed, he rushed out of the house through the 
crowd in double quick time — went home- 
bundled up his clothes — and made his exit that 
same night for Ohio, thinking to drown his 
convictions through worldly pursuits. After re- 
4 



42 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OE 



maining there three years, — his convictions still 
increasing, and not finding peace— he returned 
to Path Valley — called upon David Bear, en- 
quiring what he should do to be saved. He was 
directed to the Saviour, and at last " got reli- 
gion/' in the same neighborhood, where, three 
years before, he had boasted he would beat the 
preacher preaching. He proved faithful to his 
Saviour, and after a few years' fighting the good 
fight of faith, died a triumphant death in Stras- 
burg, Franklin county, where I preached his 
funeral sermon. Such is sometimes the way in 
which God brings sinners to himself. 

That night I preached in David Bear's house. 
He was sick, confined to bed, and requested me 
to pray for him, which I did. At that time he 
had no religion, and through this means he be- 
came awakened, and afterwards converted to 
God. He continued to hold meetings in his 
house, and became a zealous and useful preach- 
er in the Church of the United Brethren in 
Christ. I made an appointment to preach at 
his house in six weeks from that time, when I 
attended and preached. After meeting, a Mr. 
Martin Hammond, who had been convicted 
through my preaching the first time I preached 
in David Bear's house, and got converted be- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



43 



tween that time and this, invited me to preach 
at his house. An appointment was made. 
"When I came there, his wife looked daggers at 
me, blaming me for leading her husband astray 
from his former religious ways. She took me 
for one of the false prophets and deceivers, &c. 
I offered to shake hands with her, but she re- 
fused to do so. When the people began to 
gather, she went about the house storming as if 
seven devils were in her. At length she took 
her seat in a corner of the room. The religious 
exercises went on. During the time I was 
preaching, a thunderbolt from heaven entered 
her heart. She fell upon her knees roaring out 
for mercy, as if the devils were tormenting her. 
Singing and prayer were continued. She 
wrestled on, until the strong man armed was 
cast out, and a stronger than he, Christ, took 
possession of her heart before the meeting 
closed. After she had got religion, her coun- 
tenance and conduct, comparatively speaking, 
were as different as light is from darkness. In- 
stead of storming about the house, showing 
angry frowns in her features as before, she now, 
with smiles of joy and peace, recommended her 
Saviour to others. In short, the lioness was 
turned into a lamb. To God be all the glory ! 



44 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY 0^ 



CHAPTER IV. 

CURIOUS EXPERIENCE ABOUT TWO LONG BEARDED MEN, 

The repeated manifestations of God's appro- 
val of my weak efforts to promote his cause, as 
heretofore stated, convinced me more fully, that 
He had a work for me to do. From this time 
I made it my duty to exhort and preach on 
every opportunity, in order to turn sinners from 
the error of their ways to Christ. In the year 
1815, I was licensed as an exhorter, by the Uni- 
ted Brethren in Christ, at an Annual Conference 
held at brother Henry Kumler's, four miles 
from Greencastle, Franklin county, Pa. The 
year after that, I was licensed to preach by the 
Pennsylvania Annual Conference. 

During my travels and associations, I had 
many opportunities of hearing the religious ex- 
periences of God's children, a few of which I 
will state in this work, showing some of the 
different ways God takes to bring sinners to 
himself. At an Experience meeting, the fol- 
lowing experience was related by B. Carper. 
He rose in the meeting and said : 

" Brethren and sisters, I will tell you how 
the Lord brought me out of darkness into his 
marvelous light. At the time the United 
Brethren preachers first came into our parts, 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



45 



there was one of them called old " Father 
Boehm." He wore a very large beard. On 
one occasion, he had a meeting in the neigh- 
borhood of the Conowaga, Virginia. My neigh- 
bor Brand and myself lived on intimate terms. 
Brand invited Boehm to preach at his house. I 
was highly offended, that Brand should bring 
one of those so called false prophets and deceivers 
amongst us ; and the more so, as it was gener- 
ally reported, that they had such bewitching 
powers over the people, that, when they once got 
into a family, there was no knowing where mat- 
ters would end, and, in many cases, they had 
caught whole families, and sections of country 
around. 

Indignant at such things, I thought it would 
be best to put a stop to these preachers in the 
commencement. So, w T hen Boehm came to 
preach at Brand's house, I went there intending 
to kill him, and as I was a strong, stout man, 
not fearing half dozen men at a time, I had 
made up my mind how to take the preacher. 
When he would come out of the door, after 
preaching, I intended to pounce upon him, and 
with one blow knock him down — then jump 
upon, and kill him. And so, while he was 
preaching, I stood outside of the house, waiting 



4(3 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



until he would be done and come out. At the 
same time, I was listening to his discourse. It 
appeared to me, that Brand had told Boehm all 
about myself, what sort of a man I was, &c, &c. 
The word preached went into my heart, like 
arrows from a strong bow. In an instant, a 
fearful trembling came over me. I took to my 
heels and ran home as fast as my legs could car- 
ry me. "When I came to the house, my fears 
increased so much, that I was at first afraid to 
enter it in the dark. 

That night I spent in awful fear and tremb- 
ling, — not knowing what had come over me, 
as I had never felt fear before. Next morning 
I took my axe, and walked into the woods. I 
there imagined I saw a man with a long beard 
coming towards me in great haste. This in- 
creased my fears. I looked at him. His eyes 
were fixed upon me, as he came still nearer. I 
could stand the sight no longer. "With horror 
I ran from him. At the same time, he made 
after me. I continued fleeing towards the fence 
—and threw away the axe in the flight. When 
I got to the fence, I made a jump, raising 
my feet, intending to leap over it. "When on 
the top of the fence, another beardy man met 
me on the other side. He took hold of me, and 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



47 



pulled me down from off the fence. The first 
man then jumped upon me. It appeared that, 
when these men held me down, the earth open- 
ed, and I went down into hell. 

My body lay in the fence corner nearly the 
whole day. I knew nothing of this world du- 
ring that time. After I recovered, I found my- 
self a new creature in Christ Jesus. I rejoiced 
that I was brought out of the thraldom of the 
devil, and liberated from hell, where I thought 
the devil had me. After this, I had no more 
desire to kill the false prophets, so called, but 
found them to be God's true preachers, who 
preached his word faithfully. I united with 
them in Christian fellowship and now have 
meeting in my house, and am striving to serve 
the Lord, with my family and the brethren.' ' 

In 1816, a request was made to Conference, 
to send a preacher to Tuckaho valley, Pa, The lot 
fell upon brother John Bear and myself. We 
went first to Path Valley, thence to Aughwick 
Valley, thence to Hill Valley. Passing through 
Huntingdon county, to Sinking Valley, we ar- 
rived in Tuckaho Valley, and tarried to preach 
at brother Buttenberger's. These strange 
preachers were looked upon as a phenomenon. 
Some people looked at us with terrified glances, 



48 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



afraid to come into the house, but stood gaping 
in at the windows. After eying us for some 
time, it was discovered from our appearance, 
that we looked just like other men. We invi- 
ted them into the house. After some hesitation, 
they began to enter. The house became crowd- 
ed. Brother Bear preached, after which I fol- 
lowed with exhortation. The word took effect. 
Some were deeply wounded. One woman, a 
Lutheran preacher's wife, got under conviction, 
and prayed earnestly. 

'Next day we went to Warrior's Mark ; put 
up with Mr. Rumberger, and preached there. 
Returning home, we preached at the several 
appointments we had made on our outward 
route. These appointments extended eighty- 
five miles, from where we started to the Alle- 
gheny mountains. The preaching was then 
done by local preachers. They preached 
gratuitously, and paid their own expenses. For 
about two years' time, the Lord wrought such 
works among the people, that preaching places 
were opened in such numbers in these parts, 
that we could not fill them. A circuit was then 
formed for two preachers. Circuit preachers 
were sent out to serve the people with preach- 
ing, &c* 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER* 



49 



During these times a new preaching place 
was opened at Mr. Conrad's at the Iron works, 
near "Warrior's Mark. Brother David Bear, 
Henry Troub and myself, on our way to the 
Furnace, were informed that an appointment 
had been made for us there. When we arrived 
at the place, there was a wedding party in wait- 
ing. Brother Troub tied the knot for them. 
There was meeting in the evening. I preached. 
The Holy Spirit wrought powerfully. Seven of 
the wedding party fell, as men slain in battle, 
crying out for mercy, and were married to the 
Lamb of God. Afterwards the manager of the 
Iron works requested brother Troub to preach 
regularly in that place, a meeting house having 
been erected there. The work of God contin- 
ued to progress through the valley, and extend- 
ed to the environs of Bellefonte. This was the 
commencement of the United Brethren preach- 
ing in that region of country. 

Next morning, brother Bear and myself start- 
ed homeward, through Aughwick Valley, where 
we had left an appointment on our way out. 
At this place there lived a Mr. H. Kemerling. 
The meeting was held at brother Aue's house. 
Kemerling was a very wicked man. He came 
to our meeting. During its continuance he 



50 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



became awakened to a sense of his lost state. 
He requested us to come to his house and bap- 
tize his wife and children. We went. I told 
them " that baptism alone would not save their 
souls, — but that they must seek for the spiritu- 
al baptism, by getting their souls converted." 
He promised, that, if I would baptize them, this 
should be a beginning with him, and he would 
seek the Lord, and lead a new life. I complied 
with his request. I sung and prayed with them, 
and left for home. 

About one year after this, brother Crider, my 
colleague, and myself, went to the same place 
to preach. In an experience meeting, Kemer- 
ling and his wife related their experience, sta- 
ting what God had done for them, by convert- 
ing their souls. He said, that he felt it to be 
his duty, as he had been so great a sinner, and 
God had been so merciful to him, to spend his 
future life in his Master's cause in a public way. 
He became a zealous and useful preacher of the 
Gospel. 

At another time, I preached at brother Oyer- 
ly's. He had come out from the Mennonites, 
but, not yet being fully inducted into the new 
light, as some termed this new way, he had his 
doubts concerning us ; as he had been told, 



KEV. SAMUEL H TIBER, 



51 



that we were deceivers, &c. Therefore, not 
knowing how matters would turn out, he ap- 
pointed the meeting to be held in his barn, 
fearing, probably, that his house might become 
contaminated, if we should preach in it. At 
this meeting, his son-in-law, J. Eider, got un- 
der conviction, and in a short time afterwards, 
he and his wife found the pearl of great price. 
He became a preacher in the Allegheny Con- 
ference. 

The next appointment we had, was filled by 
brother John Crider in brother Eumberger's 
barn. ]STow, brother Eumberger was one of 
those men, who did not want to work without 
being paid, although he would sometimes labor 
on trust. 'Not knowing whether he would be 
remunerated or not, having some how or other 
understood, that there is a promise on record, 
that "whosoever receiveth a prophet, in the 
name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's re- 
ward," and being somewhat religiously inclined, 
he took it into his head to try the Lord, and 
see whether his promises were true or not. So 
he went to work and fitted up his barn in good 
style for the use of these new prophets, — which 
cost him considerable labor and expense. Ac- 
cordingly, the meeting was held in the barn, 



52 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



and at this meeting brother Rumberger, his 
wife, son, and daughter, obtained religion, and 
went on their way rejoicing ; being fully satis- 
fied, that God had more than amply rewarded 
him for the cost and labor of preparing the barn 
for holding meeting, and receiving God's pro- 
phets. 

I might go on to relate a great many interest- 
ing circumstances, which took place at the com- 
mencement of United Brethren preaching in 
the aforesaid valleys ; but the cases mentioned 
may suffice as specimens for the whole. 

At one time, whilst I was preaching in broth- 
er David Fleck's house, in Amberson's Valley, 
the power of God arrested his brother John, who 
was convicted and converted in a very short 
time. He leaped up and praised God. After 
I had spoken in German, I was told, that the 
congregation were mostly English, and that I 
should speak in English. My speaking being 
mostly m German, I was but imperfectly versed 
in the English language. However, I consent- 
ed to do so. After I was done speaking in 
English, an Irish Roman Catholic, who, proba- 
bly, never had heard the Gospel preached by a 
Roman priest, rose up, and, with tears in his 
eyes, said, " I wish that God Almighty had 



REV. SAMUEL HUEER. 



53 



sent his convictions on me, in place of John 
Fleck. I have as much need of them as he 
has." Poor sinner ! who would not approve of 
his candor and sincerity ? 



CHAPTEE V, 

PREACHER DROPPED INTO A HOGSHEAD* 

In the course of our journey through this 
life, singular occurrences frequently come to 
our knowledge from personal observation, and 
through information from others. The follow- 
ing incident was related to me on good author- 
ity : 

At a certain funeral occasion, a preacher was 
requested to preach the funeral sermon. When 
he came to the place designated, the house was 
too small to contain the people. It was thought 
proper, that the preacher should address them 
outside of it. But as there was no place pre- 
pared for him to stand upon while preaching^ 
in the hurry of the moment, a hogshead was set 
upon its end. The preacher took his stand upon 
it, in order to deliver his discourse. "Whilst 
addressing the audience, he felt it to be his duty. 



54 



AUTOBXOGKAPHY OF 



more than ordinarily, to enforce his remarks 
upon his hearers, particularly so, at snch a time, 
as that of a funeral. And, as he was one of 
those who believed in smiting with the hand 
and stamping with the foot, according to the 
sentiments of an ancient prophet, and being 
determined to enforce his remarks upon his au- 
dience, he gave one stamp with his foot upon 
the top of the hogshead, which, not having been 
made for that purpose, gave way, and went 
down, with the preacher after it, he exclaiming, 
" That's the way sinners drop into hell ■!" He 
sprang out of the hogshead and finished his 
discourse. But whether the idea of sinners 
dropping into hell through a hogshead, had any 
effect upon his hearers or not, I was not inform- 
ed. One thing, however, is certain. It was a 
new item in the category of theological terms. 

At a meeting held in brother Daniel Piper's 
house, I preached in English. A young wo- 
man, as she afterwards stated, took her seat 
close to the bed-room door. Conviction seized 
her. She got up, intending to jump out of the 
house, to get out of reach of such power; but, 
she fell down in the bed-room — lay there in 
agony for some time, wrestling in prayer, until 
she was blest. Six other persons obtained mer- 
cy that nighty before the meeting closed. 



1 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



55 



Being requested by brother John Russel, to 
help to hold a meeting in Sherman's Valley, in 
company with my brother Abraham, we started 
for the meeting. On our way we called upon 
David Bear, who went with us. We left an ap- 
pointment for our return, at Mr. Cling's near 
Concord. After this, we arrived at sister Hub- 
ler's, where brother Russel' s meeting was to be 
held. Brother J. Wingert met us here. Broth- 
er Russel had not yet made his appearance. "We, 
however, went on with the meeting. 

A large assembly of persons were present, 
among whom there was a phenomenon, in the 
figure of a female. Her dress and deportment 
corresponded with each other. She was em- 
bellished in full regalia of worldly fashion. Her 
head dress, decorated with artificials, might 
have been taken for a flower-pot. It might 
have been fortunate for the congregation, that 
the wearing of " hoops " was not then in vogue, 
Had it been so, this personification of vanity 
might have taken up the greater part of the 
room, within the circle of a " hoop," to the no 
small annoyance of the people. Judging from 
her appearance, a stranger would have taken 
her to be the "belle" of the country. She 
seated herself in the middle of the room ; kept 



56 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



looking about at the people with contemptous 
airs, pecking with her hands and fingers at those 
within her reach, with a view of making her- 
self conspicuous and raising fun. She was a 
complete gazing stock to be looked at, without 
the remotest idea of good manners, or religious 
notions. She would all the while look me full 
in the face, with sarcastic taunts and smiles. 
After singing and prayer, as it fell to my lot to 
preach first that evening, I took for my text, 
Malachi 4 : 1, "For behold the day cometh, that 
shall burn as an oven : and all the proud, yea, 
and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : and 
the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith 
the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neith- 
er root nor branch." When about the middle 
of my discourse, the power of God struck this 
embodiment of pride and vanity. She at once 
fell upon her knees, imploring God's mercy on 
her soul. 

Feeling strengthened and encouraged at this, 
I continued to pour out God's denunciations 
against the proud. The arrows of God's word 
continued to fly. The Philistines (sinners) see- 
ing their championess fallen, gave way. Some 
made for the door. Others fell upon their 
knees, and still others upon their backs, pray- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



57 



ing. The power of God went like fire through 
stubble. Brother Wingert followed with ex- 
hortation, exclaiming, "I feel that the power of 
God is here." His exhortation swept through 
the house like a storm over a grain field. 

Up to this time, brother Russel had not been 
in the meeting, but, from what we understood 
afterwards, he appeared to be "dodging." There 
are some great big warriors in the w T orld, who, 
when an enemy is fleeing, are the first to pur- 
sue ; but, in the commencement of a battle, they 
fight under cover. Brother Russel had been 
threatened by some rowdies with the loss of his 
horse's tail, and, it may be, a little damage to 
himself. These threats might have made him 
dodge some, and it appeared to be so, from the 
fact, that, during the first part of the meeting, 
he was in the room above, 'peeping down through 
the stove pipe hole in the floor, watching the 
movements below, and observing how mat- 
ters were going on. Seeing the ranks of the 
enemy breaking, he took courage, and came 
down into the room, just about the time that 
brother Wingert was closing his remarks. 
Brother Russel, having got another "dip" open- 
ed his gun and commenced exhorting in such 
terms, that the power of God's word flew like 
5 



58 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



showers of grape shot from a battery. If ever 
God helped a man to speak in his name, he did 
so through brother Russel, on this occasion. 
The power of God was present to kill and 
make alive. The meeting proceeded, some 
getting religion and praising God ; others cut 
to the heart, fell down in distress, to rise up 
again with joy. Mourning — singing — praying 
— shouting, were the characteristics of that 
night. 

The meeting continued until breakfast time 
next morning. Among the converts, was the 
artificial figure, and no doubt, the devil growled 
much, when he lost such a championess in his 
cause. Such was the work of God in the Apos- 
tolic days, and such it has continued to be to 
the present time. The conversion and refor- 
mation of sinners, is a work beyond the power 
and wisdom of man. Although he uses men 
as instruments, " the excellency of the power % 
is of God, and not of man." 

After breakfast we left, and w T ent to our ap- 
pointment near Concord, at Mr. Cling's. When 
we arrived at the place, there was a good turn 
out of people. I told brother "Wingert, that, in 
consequence of our last night's labor and loss 
of sleep, I felt rather weak to preach, and asked 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



59 



him to fill my place. He said, that he felt as 
weak as I did, and that I must preach. Seeing 
no alternative, I preached from Matth. 5 : 6, 
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness ; .for they shall be filled." 
Before I concluded, the man of the house, his 
■wife and daughter, together with another aged 
man and his wife, obtained mercy ; and one old 
Methodist backslider was reclaimed. Mr. Cling 
used to say, he liked to hear me preach, but did 
not like this mourning, shouting, &c. It look- 
ed rather disorderly, according to his notions 
about religion. But now, when he was seeking, 
upon his knees, for mercy, he cried out : " Now 
I see where the disorder lies. It is not on the 
side of religion, but in my own heart." After 
preaching, brother "Wingert delivered a power- 
ful exhortation. Six persons professed conver- 
sion at this meeting. 

From Mr. Cling' s we returned home, holding 
meeting on the way at David Bear's at candle 
light. At one time, David Bear and myself 
held a meeting in Strasburg, at John Newman's* 
On this occasion, five souls were converted to 
God. The oldest son of Mr. Newcomer, one of 
the converts, became a preacher among the 
United Brethren. 



60 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OE 



At one of the camp meetings held near the 
Rocky Spring, one night, after the people had 
retired to rest, there were present three young 
men. "What their intentions were, no one 
knew, probably, but themselves. One of them 
had a pistol in his hand. They were standing 
around one of the Camp fires. Suddenly they 
were struck with the power of God, and fell si- 
multaneously to the ground, with their heads 
outwards from the fire. In this condition they 
lay as dead men, apparently without life, until 
the forenoon of the next day, at which time 
they began to show signs of life. "When re- 
covering, they trembled as though they had the 
ague, and began to pray for mercy. After much 
prayer was made in their behalf, they rose up, 
praising God, " that the dead were made alive " 
through his pardoning grace. 

At another time, in company with Br. Henry 
Eumler, I took a trip into Virginia, beyond 
Staunton, preaching in our route twice a day. 
We felt the power of God within us, whilst 
dispensing the word of life to others. God made 
it a "savor of life unto life," to many souls. 
We had lively and powerful meetings. From 
Winchester we went to Harper's Ferry, to at- 
tend the Annual Conference. We then return- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 61 

ed home, after having travelled, in going and 
returning, about four hundred miles. 

At the Annual Conference held in Frederick 
county, State of Maryland, May Tth, 1819, I 
was ordained to Elder's orders by Bishop New- 
comer, and afterwards elected Presiding Elder, 
having heretofore acted in the capacity of a 
local preacher only. 

In order to attend to my duties as Presiding 
Elder, I went through the Virginia Circuit, and 
held quarterly meeting at John Funkhouser's. 
Here much good was done. Many got under 
conviction — believers were stirred up — swelling 
shouts of joy, that the dead were made alive, 
and the lost were found, ascended up on high. 
There was a protracted meeting held at Father 
Shewey's, ten miles above Staunton, which I at- 
tended. At this place I was invited by a person 
to preach in Staunton. I went there and preach- 
ed to a crowded house of hearers*, in a Lutheran 
church. As we were returning from the church, 
it was remarked, "that if God is as well pleas- 
ed with you, as the people are with your preach- 
ing, you are better off than most people in the 
world." From here I went to Middlebrook, 
and preached there, and thence towards Green- 
brier, not far from the Natural Bridge, on my 



62 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QP 



way to attend to the following quarterly meet- 
ings, viz., one at Bro. Sites' ; one near New 
Market, at Bro. Lauman's ; one at Bro. Blind's. 
After this I returned home. 



CHAPTER VI. 

SPIRITUALLY BLIND DEALERS IN THEOLOGY. 

After harvest, I held a camp meeting six 
miles above Harrisonburg, Rockingham county, 
Va., on the grounds of Bro. Hoffman. Bros. 
Christian Troub,, John Brown, Henry Butner, 
" Thomas the white coat" — -with a number of 
other preachers, assisted in holding it. When 
I arrived on the ground, the brethren were 
much discouraged, because there were not more 
aged preachers to officiate. They said, "they 
thought, the meeting could not be held by 
young preachers." Their hands were hanging 
down. Under such discouraging appearances, 
I took the stand, and called the congregation 
together. But few of them left their tents — 
the most remaining in them. I commenced 
the meeting by preaching. I told the people 
not to place their hopes in men, and encouraged 
them to put their trust in God. I stated, that 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



68 



I was by no means discouraged, that my trust 
was in the God of Israel. If he would assist 
with his power, all would turn out well. There 
was little, if any, singing or praying heard on 
the ground that night. 

Next morning at 10 o'clock, it was put upon 
me to preach again. Some of the brethren 
followed with exhortation. But things contin- 
ued to wear a gloomy cast — there was no ap- 
pearance of a shower, as yet. There was a 
death like calm, no apparent motion. But it 
was a calm, similar to that which precedes a 
hurricane. 

After dinner, I requested some of the breth- 
ren to come into the preachers' tent, and pray 
to God for help, and so they did. Shortly af- 
ter this, we commenced prayer meeting in the 
tent, and five mourners came out for prayer. 
They were then taken out of the tent, into the 
altar, near the preachers' stand. During sing- 
ing and prayer, until preaching time arrived, a 
number of mourners were added to those al- 
ready in distress. The excitement began to 
spread over the ground, like the rising of a 
water flood, propelled forward by a storm of 
wind, still rising more powerfully and carrying 
before it all in its way. When preaching time 



64 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY Of 



arrived, there was no need further to press the 
people to come into the congregation ; they 
came out simultaneously. Preaching and ex- 
hortation were then continued in German and 
English. The word was attended with power, 
and fell, like showers of hail, upon a corn field, 
cutting down all before it. The people were 
pricked to the heart. Many of the "elite" to- 
gether with the common people, were brought 
to the foot of the cross. The mingling of 
sounds, such as, singing— praying — exhorting 
— mourning — shouting— together with the sight 
of sinners prostrated — mourners converted — 
new converts jumping for joy — saints rejoicing 
— preachers giving glory to God ; afforded a 
pleasing sight and sensation, to all who went 
in for propogating the cause of God, and de- 
stroying the works of the devil, in this way. 

I am aware, that such religious exercises do 
not meet with the approbation of all kinds of 
people. There are some honest, good meaning 
persons, who do not see into such things as 
many others do. We, therefore, pass them by 
with our best wishes. But there is another race 
of beings in creation, whose eyes are blinded by 
the god of this world, whom we cannot pass by, 
without some notice. They claim to be the ex- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 65 



elusive benefactors of mankind, and hail, as 
they speak, a new order of things, by which, 
according to their views, the world is to be re- 
generated by a religion and philosophy of their 
own make, consisting in outward forms and 
demonstrations upon the subject of religion. 
Such things as gospel power and outward expres- 
sions of religious feelings, they discard as being 
the work of the devil, and call it fanaticism and 
heresy. No doubt, u they are the people, and 
wisdom will die with them." But after all the 
declamations and ostentatious display made by 
these spiritually blind dealers in religion against 
such things, the gospel power still moves on m 
the good old way. 

At a Union camp meeting, a certain would 
be theologian of this stamp, alluding to such re- 
ligious exercises, in his public vociferations, ex- 
claimed, " I wish that God would banish this 
damnable heresy from the face of the earth. " 
He was not, however, the first blind leader of the 
blind, who gave utterance to such sentiments. 
Such spiritually blind ^quacks" in religious mat- 
ters existed and figured in the Church long be- 
fore he was ushered into existence. The apostol- 
ic age was pregnant with such theorists ; men, 
who were mere pretenders, " traitors, heady, 



68 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lov- 
ers of God ; having a form of godliness, but 
denying the power thereof ; ever learning and 
never able to come to the knowledge of the 
truth." From " such," said Paul to Timothy, 
a turn away." And their father, the devil, has 
continued with them through their progeny, 
blinding their intellectual powers, down to the pres- 
ent day. 

Others there are, who are in favor of getting 
souls converted in such a nice, smooth way, that 
no body is to know any thing about it ; no, not 
even the subjects themselves. An observance 
of lifeless forms in religion is recommended, as 
a criterion by which to judge, whether they are 
" born again " or not. By such means, souls 
are hushed up and "quieted " into a state of ig- 
norant notions respecting their salvation, and if 
not brought out of this condition ey spiritual 
power, will be lost in the end ; and God will re- 
quire their loss at the hands of such a ministry. 

But we need not go out of the range of our 
own Church to find " preachers," who show an 
inkling towards insipid forms in religion. There 
are some who, after their professed conversion 
to God, if they ever were converted, could stand, 
and kneel around a mourner's bench; sing— pray 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



67 



— and talk with mourners, &c. ; but now, under 
the influence of worldly elements, are seeking 
popularity out of the good old track. They go in 
for " still born children" fearing that a new birth 
through the old way, accompanied with a few 
shouts, might look too much like a row in the 
eyes of "big folks." In many instances, at 
meetings, when sinners become convicted, these 
modern refiners in theology, instead of inviting 
them out to the mourner's bench, as they should 
do, break up the meeting — fearing there might 
be too much noise ! 

It would appear, that such preachers have for- 
gotten, that mankind are constituted of the 
same " material " as they were in olden times, 
subject to diabolical influences, and that, when 
the devil is about to be driven out of a person, 
he " rends him sore," before he leaves the castle. 
The spiritual conflict going on in the heart of 
the sinner, at the time, produces deep contor- 
tions. It not only causes the tear to flow, but 
also afflicts the soul, cutting and rending it, 
like the case recorded in the gospel: "And 
they brought him unto him : and he fell on the 
ground and wallowed, foaming," Mark 9 : 20, 
and " Jesus rebuked the foul spirit and it came 
out of him." Now, when the sinner is thus 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



made whole, it is by no means surprising, con- 
sidering the great change produced within him, 
that he should leap forth, and praise his deliver- 
er. But those would be new light divines, 
dressed up in every new changing worldly fashion, 
appear to have lost sight of the fact, that it 
takes the same " modus operandi" to drive the 
devil out of a sinner's heart now, as it did in 
former times. They try to get sinners convert- 
ed in a more refined, world pleasing way, and 
are endeavoring to bring into the Church a sys- 
tem of " dry forms " in religious worship ; and 
by such means, instead of furthering, they ob- 
struct, the work of God. Such pretenders to 
divinity ought to know, that in this day of gos- 
pel light, the public lose confidence in them 
and their moral harangues, and instead of bene- 
fitting the Church, they become an injury to it. 

But we must return to the camp meeting near 
Harrisonburg, on brother Hoffman's ground. 
Among the attendants at it, there was a Mr. 
Rodes, a Mennonite preacher, who came there 
for the express purpose of hearing and seeing 
for himself, how these people carried on their 
meetings. After becoming satisfied, he request- 
ed me to go and tarry w T ith him at his house. 
During my stay there, he said, " he had been 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



69 



brought out of darkness into the light of the 
Gospel in Otterbein's time, and that he had ex- 
perienced that this was the work of the Lord ;" 
exhorting me, at the same time, to continue on 
in the good work, in the face of all opposition 
whatsoever, and not to give way one inch. 
To this advice I have continued to adhere. 

On Sunday I preached in German. The 
Methodist Presiding Elder, who attended the 
camp, followed with a sermon in English. There 
was a great deal of weeping in the congregation 
that day. There were also a great many people 
of color on the ground. I told them, " that 
they should have three hours' liberty for their 
religious exercises." After I came down from 
the stand, a " Goliath "-like looking man, with 
a heavy whip in his hand, took me roughly by 
the arm, and said, " that I had subjected my- 
self to a fine of twenty dollars forgiving liberty 
to the colored people." " I told him I was not 
aware of having violated the Virginia laws — 
that I was a Pennsylvanian — that 1 preached 
the Bible doctrine, and that colored people had 
as much need of the Gospel as either of us." 
He still held fast to my arm, talking for some 
time. At length a Magistrate came to where 
we were standing, and after he became acquaint- 



70 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ed with the affair, said, addressing the man, 
" This man thinks he understands Virginia 
laws ; but, Sir, if you don't let go your hold on 
the preacher, and cease further molestation, I 
will teach you some law which you do not un- 
derstand.-" He let go my arm, hung down his 
head, and sneaked away. 

The meeting continued six days, with great 
outpourings of the Holy Spirit. At its close, 
when about to leave the ground, a Mrs. Snyder 
came to me, and said : 

" Are you going away and to leave my hus- 
band lying in the altar." I replied: 

" I did not know of his situation." I went 
to him as he was lying in the altar, and said : 

"Snyder! I thought you were a religious 
man long ago." He replied: 

" I never got into the pool yet, although I 
am a professor of religion." 

"We took him up, he being powerless, unable 
to rise, and placed him in a wagon. As we 
parted, addressing him, I said : " May be you 
will get into the pool this time, before you get 
home," and so it turned out. Before he got 
home he got into the pool — was blest in the 
wagon, and came out washed from his sins. 

I will here relate a circumstance, the knowl- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



71 



edge of which may be of use in curing the bite 
of a snake. "When we were about leaving the 
camp, brother Troub, in search of his umbrella, 
put his hand under the preachers' bed, when he 
was bitten by a snake in his fore finger, which 
caused him great pain — swelled much — the 
finger and part of the hand turned blue in spots. 
"We were at a loss for a remedy. Brother 
Brown said, " he could cure him." Troub ex- 
posed his naked arm. Brown took the arm in 
his hand tightly ; he then commenced with his 
closed hand rubbing Troub's arm from his 
shoulder to his fingers. This he did three 
times in succession. The pain left the arm, and 
the swelling subsided. No other remedy was 
used. The wound was cured. 

After leaving the camp, we repaired to a union 
camp meeting, held near Newtown, on Squire 
Steckley's land. It being a union meeting, 
there were Methodists, United Brethren, and 
New light preachers attending it. Much union 
— good feeling and spiritual blessings charac- 
terized the exercises. There was a Col. Smith 
on the ground, who said, " he had a man 
of color, his coachman, who could outpreach 
any man on the ground." I told him " we had 
plenty of preachers here, but had no objection 



72 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



to hearing his 6 coachman. ' " The darkey took 
the stand, and held forth in such strains of pow- 
er and eloquence, that he astonished the natives. 
The whole camp felt the force of his discourse. 
It fell upon the audience like the rays of a hot 
sun upon the icebergs, melting down hearts, and 
causing tears to flow in all directions. It was 
conceded by all parties, that he beat the field — 
and so we said, Amen. 

A circumstance occurred at this meeting, 
which goes to show, that there are, at times, 
impressions resting upon our minds, which, if 
properly understood, would lead us from danger. 
At the time the ground was being prepared for 
the camp, Mr. Steckley and myself were looking 
over it. I directed his attention to two trees, which 
stood within the bounds of the encampment. 
An impression rested upon my mind, that there 
was some danger connected with them. One of 
the trees was a large hickory, standing at the 
head of the camp ground, where, in time of 
meeting, a great crowd of persons generally 
gathered. - 1 thought it should be cut down, 
and requested Mr. Steckley to have it done. 
To this request, he answered : 

" There is no danger in that tree/' I replied, 
" We don't know 1 whai might happen," ad- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



73 



cling, " There will be a great crowd of people 
collected where it stands." He said, pleasant- 

"You area curious sort of a man." I re- 
joined, 

" There appears to be danger in the tree. Let 
it be cut down." To this he at length consent- 
ed. After a few incisions were made in it with 
the axe, it was discovered to be rotten inside 
down to the ground, and was soon felled. We 
were satisfied, that it could not much longer 
have withstood a storm. I then requested him 
to have the other tree, which stood near the 
preachers' stand and the altar, removed also. 
He smiling, replied, 

" I don't think there is another man on the 
ground but yourself, who apprehends any danger 
whatever from that tree." I responded, 

u If the devil could raise a wind with which 
to blow Job's 6 house down,' and a storm at 
sea, at the time Christ was in the ship, he might 
also raise a storm with which to blow that tree 
down, at the moment when likely to do the 
most mischief." He replied, 

" I wonder at you for having any fears about 
that tree. It has withstood the storms of over 
6 



74 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OB 1 



one hundred years, and can do the same for 
ages yet to come." 

And so the tree was left standing. On the 
Sabbath forenoon, at the time Doctor Tilton, a 
Methodist, was preaching, a sudden storm arose 
from the North, and with strong winds, came 
moving towards us. I saw its approach. Ap- 
prehending danger near, I took my hat, left the 
stand, and ran in a direction from the tree, in 
case it should be blown down. The preacher 
stopped his discourse. The preachers in the 
stand, with the people in the altar, seeing me 
flee, and stimulated by my example, with rapid 
and unmeasured strides, took the same course. 
We had scarcely got out of the way, when down 
came the top of the tree, with a tremendous 
crash, into the altar, and had we not done as we 
did, there might have been many persons kill- 
ed or maimed by its fall. 

The foregoing occurrence starts a question, 
upon which a few thoughts may be employed, 
without transcending the limits of penetration, 
viz : "Was it the devil or not, that raised the 
storm which broke off the top of the tree ? and, 
if so, What object could he have had in view in 
its accomplishment ? We answer the first 
question in the affirmative. And in answer to 



KEY. SAMUEL HUBEK. 



75 



the second question, we give it as our opinion, 
that the devil stirred up the storm, for the pur- 
pose of breaking up the camp meeting, or oth- 
erwise doing injury to the people who had as- 
sembled there to worship God. 

First: because camp meetings are dangerous 
elements to Satan's ways, inasmuch as through 
them, there have been, and still are, many of 
his champions caught in the Gospel net. 

Second: ever since "King Emanuel" has 
opened the Gospel way of destroying the works 
of the devil, and using men as instruments for 
that purpose, it is well known by both men and 
devils, that a true, converted preacher, (not a 
mere pretender) is by no means a friend, but an ir- 
reconcilable opponent of the devil, by proclaim- 
ing Christ and him crucified, &c, &c. Now, in- 
asmuch as the old serpent is at interminable war 
with such things, and makes use of all ways and 
means in his power to counteract them, therefore, 
we think, that it is not out of latitude to sup- 
pose, inasmuch as he is spoken of in Scripture, as 
having raised a " wind which blew Job's house 
down," and is styled " the prince of the pow- 
er of the air," Ephesians 2: 2, that he would 
raise a storm, to injure the camp meeting by 
the falling of a tree, and if that tree top had 



76 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



fallen on the people, it certainly would have 
done much injury, by killing, or maiming some 
of them, and, by that means, there might have 
been a few preachers, as well as people, put out 
of his way, and the camp broken up, and the 
good that was done at it prevented. 

But, inasmuch as we do not hold the devil to 
be omniscient, to be able to know and see 
whatsoever cometh to pass, he is frequently dis- 
appointed. In this case there was a counter- 
acting influence to his movements exercised at 
the time, through the impression made upon 
our mind, respecting the danger connected w T ith 
the trees ; and, by this means, Satan was foiled 
in his measures. Now we have no direct proof 
in " holy writ," that Satan did actually raise the 
" wind," which blew down "the house of Job." 
But we infer it to be so, from the fact, that God 
put " Job's possessions into his hands," at the 
time ; Satan having power to use such elements 
as suited his purpose. It is also the opinion of 
some thinkers, that the devil raised the storm at 
sea, when Christ was in the ship, thereby in- 
tending to destroy him and his companions in 
the deep. 

After taking this summary view of the sub- 
ject, we opine, that the devil raised th e storm at 



REV. .SAMUEL RUBER. 



77 



this camp meeting, for the purpose aforemen- 
tioned. But, if the reader thinks otherwise, he 
is perfectly at liberty to do so. People will 
have their own notions about " the devil and 
some of his doings," at any rate. 

At the time I carried on the tailoring business, 
there was in my employ, an intelligent young 
widow, a Presbyterian, of good moral character, 
and a good seamstress. She would frequently 
advance Calvinistic doctrines, in the course of 
argument. On one occasion, I asked her, 

" Jane : Do you know whether you are one 
of the elect, or a reprobate ?" She answered, 

"I don't know. It is not our business to 
know that." I rejoined, 

" Then you run a great risk, by not knowing 
your spiritual state." She answered, 

" Our business is to do right, by living a re- 
ligious life, unconcerned about Election or 
Eeprobation." I said, 

" A true Christian knows where he is going? 
and if you get religion, you will not believe 
Calvin's doctrine any longer." 

After this she began to pray in secret, as she 
afterwards told me. So one day, as she was 
sitting on the shop-board at her work, with my 
daughter, she sprang from her seat, jumping — 



78 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



shouting through the house, until she fell down 
upon the floor, to the utter surprise of the fam- 
ily. I was absent at the time. When I came 
home, I looked at her, and seeing she had such 
a pleasant countenance, she began to cry out, 
" Glory — Glory — I have got religion. I was 
born shouting, and I hope to die shouting.'' 

A few years after this, she was brought to 
her death-bed. I visited her shortly before her 
death. When there, she asked me : 

"Did you see that light in the roc&n." I 
said, 

"No!" She replied, 

" I see it as plainly as the sun," and request- t 
ed me to sing and pray with her once more. 
After prayer, she shouted, Glory ! Glory ! and 
expired, in fulfilment of the hope she expressed 
at her spiritual birth to " die shouting." 

Brother Henry Clippinger, in relating to me 
his experience, said : 

" I was a member of a certain Church in 
Shippensburg, and being an Elder in it, I con- 
sidered myself a pretty good Christian. At one 
time I went to hear the Rev. Mr. Habliston 
preach. I paid great attention to what he said. 
So, w T hen he began to preach, I began to weep, 
not knowing why I should do so, as I consider- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



79 



ed myself good enough. It made me feel much 
ashamed of myself, to think, that, an old pro- 
fessor of religion as I was, should shed tears. I 
held my handkerchief over my face, fearing the 
people would see me cry, and call me an old wo- 
man. I therefore concealed my tears, as much 
as possible. Afterwards, on my way home, it 
being an intensely cold night, the tears, rolling 
down my cheeks, froze into two cakes of ice 
on them. "When I got home, I had to thaw 
them at the stove. While doing so, my wife 
came to me, much alarmed, thinking that I was 
almost frozen to death. 

I went to bed weeping. My wife thought I 
was dying. I continued in prayer for mercy, 
having found out by this time, that my profess- 
ed religion consisted in vague notions. After 
thus praying for some time in bed, the good 
Lord broke down all my old unsound religious 
fabrics, and gave me a new and true religion, — 
converting my soul. Such was my extacy of 
joy, that I asked my wife, "Whether the roof 
had been taken from off the house, inasmuch 
as it appeared to me that I could see clear up 
to heaven. After this, my wife and family be- 
came converted to God, and are now moving 
Zion-ward in a living spiritual way. 



80 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

It has often been asked, Whether a person 
can get converted by hearing a sermon in a lan- 
guage which he does not understand ? Now, as 
a general rule, the question will be answered in 
the negative. For, to convince a sinner of the 
error ot his ways, and point him to the proper 
remedy, it is necessary to instruct him in words 
and language such as he can understand. To 
speak to him in an "unknown tongue/' is like 
speaking "into the air," because he under- 
stands it not. Hence it is important, that he 
should understand the language spoken, in or- 
der to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 
From this, we infer, that, as a general rule, 
souls cannot be converted under preaching in a 
language which they do not understand. 

But general rules have their exceptions. This 
is the case with the present one. The truth of 
this, was fully illustrated by an incident which 
occurred in my house. At one time, when a 
brother was preaching in the German language, 
an English Eoman Catholic young woman was 
present. She became convicted of sin under 
his preaching, and got converted before the 
close of the meeting. I then asked her, why it 
was, that she, being English, and having fre- 
quently heard preaching in that language, did 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEK. 



81 



not get religion before this ; but now, under a 
sermon in German, which she did not under- 
stand, she became convicted of sin. She repli- 
ed, that the power she felt under the preaching 
convinced her, that the preacher was a man of 
God, and this fact brought her to reflection, by 
means of which she became convicted, and 
sought and found the Lord. Thus we see, that 
God labors for the salvation of souls by ways 
and means, of which the philosophy of the world 
never dreams. Glory be to his name for free 
grace and salvation ! 



CHAPTER VII. 

CAMP MEETING ON OVERCASTS LAND — FETTERHOFF'S 
CHAPEL FUNKSTOWN. 

After I had returned home from the camp 
meeting held on Mr. Steckley's ground, I held 
another camp meeting on brother Overcash's 
premises, near the head of the Falling Spring, 
Franklin county, Pa. At this meeting there 
was not that apparent display of God's power, 
which was manifested on some other occasions. 
Several preachers left the ground discouraged, 
saying there could be nothing done here. There 



82 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



was, however, some moving of the Spirit. It 
was what may be called, a good camp meeting. 
But, inasmuch as the Lord has his way in the 
" calm " as well as in the " storm," he frequent- 
ly withholds from his faithful ministry the im- 
mediate effects of their preaching. Evidence of 
this was had in the case of this meeting. One 
year subsequent to it, at a quarterly meeting 
held at FetterhofFs Chapel, a number of per- 
sons, in relating their religious experience, da- 
ted their conversions from the preaching at this 
camp meeting. Thus are the Scriptures fulfill- 
ed. " The seed cast upon good ground brings 
forth, some sixty, some an hundred fold," al- 
though it may remain in the ground for a 
length of time before it springs up. 

At another quarterly meeting, held in Fetter- 
hoff's Chapel, there were twelve converted to 
the true faith. The preachers who assisted at 
this time, were brothers J. Kessler, F. Gilbert, 
Samuel Cook. 

Funkstown, a village a few miles distant from 
the Chapel, was at that time considered, in a 
religious respect, a hard place, There were, it 
is true, some cold religious professors, and a 
few warm ones, residing in and about the vil- 
lage. But, in general, wickedness carried the 



BEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 18 

day. Proof of this was given prior to this time 
at a religious revival meeting, held by the 
Methodists, in a union meeting house, in that 
place. Some of the devil's advocates, in their 
hostility towards such meetings, upset the stove, 
with fire in it, during the time of meeting. 

Such things, as sinners praying audibly in the 
church for mercy — getting religion — shouting, 
&c, were looked upon by the major part of the 
people, as being the works of the devil, which 
should not be tolerated ; and, what made the 
matter worse, thei^e were some clerical gentry, 
who, assuming to be Christ's ministers — claim- 
ing to be the wisdom of the age — but not know- 
ing the power of God themselves, — came among 
the people, and cried out in no measured terms 
against this sort of wild fire fanatical religion, 
fee 

In view of such a state of things in that 
neighborhood, it was thought necessary by some 
of our brethren, that another attack (the breth- 
ren having preached there before) should be 
made upon Satan's forces there, and a few 
rounds of grape and canister shot, in theologi- 
cal style, sent into their ranks. It was asked, 
" How many preachers will come to Funkstown, 
to hold a meeting?" Brother J. Kessler, E, 



84 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



Hoffman and myself agreed to go. We went 
and held a meeting, at which time God blessed 
his word in the conversion of two souls, and no 
doubt many more were brought to feel the in- 
fluence of Gospel power. 

This may be regarded as the beginning of 
United Brethrenism in that place. Since that 
time, the Church has increased in members 
there. The Brethren have built a church of 
their own. The former prejudices, which exist- 
ed against their mode of worship, have mostly 
died away. At a protracted meeting held there 
last fall by brother J. M. Bishop, preacher in 
charge, assisted by W. Owens and J. Denig, 
Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Ger- 
man Reformed, Methodists, with some others, 
in all members of seven different religious de- 
nominations, partook together of the Sacrament 
of the Lord's Supper in the United Brethren 
church. 

At one of my regular appointments in 
Plough's school house, one Sunday morning, * 
towards the close of my sermon, my brother 
Benjamin's son Samuel, rose up in the congre- 
gation, and said, 

" I want to tell the people, that I now intend 
to serve God, and lead a new life." I replied, 



REV. SAMUEL HUB&Il. 



85 



" I wish there were more in the house, who 
would come out in the same way." 

We then kneeled in prayer. When we rose 
up, nine persons remained on their knees, cry- 
ing aloud for mercy. We continued to labor 
with them until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 
We then closed the meeting until evening, re- 
questing all who wished to get religion, to come 
out then. In the evening the house was crowd- 
ed to overflowing. Eleven mourners came out 
for prayer, some of whom obtained the blessing 
that night. We then appointed another prayer 
meeting for the following Wednesday evening, 
at my brother Abraham's house. At this meet- 
ing, another of the former eleven mourners was 
blessed, and during the same week, eight out of 
the eleven obtained peace. 

At a camp meeting held in Pleasant Valley, 
not far from Boonsboro, Md., while I was de- 
livering an exhortation, the power of God came 
upon me in such a manner, that I became pow- 
erless, and fell backward on the stand, and laid 
there a short time. This circumstance gave 
rise to a report, that I had been struck dead, by 
the power of God, as a judgment upon me, be- 
ing a false prophet, and that I was buried under 
the preacher's stand, in order to conceal it from 



86 



AUTOBIOGKAPHY OF 



the public. Futile as such a report was, it ob- 
tained currency throughout the country, and 
was hailed with eagerness and delight, by the 
enemies of true religion, and propagated from 
the pulpit, and from behind tables, at religious, 
and other meetings, with a view to prejudice 
the people against us, and prevent them from 
coming to our meetings. 

One year after this, I attended another camp 
meeting on the same ground. "When I arrived 
there, which was in the evening, the Presiding 
Elder said to me, " That, as the report of my 
death and burial was believed by, and still fresh 
in the memory of, many in the congregation, I 
should keep off* the stand until a brother was 
done preaching, and then surprize the people by 
suddenly appearing before them." According- 
ly, I remained concealed until the brother had 
finished his discourse, when I rose up suddenly 
on the stand, and with arms and hands uplifted, 
looked quietly on the people for a short time. 
I then cried out : 

" Here is the man who was said to be dead, 
and buried ! He has risen again/' 

At this, many of those who had circulated 
the evil report, looked as if they were thunder- 
struck, and gazed with consternation, as though 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEE* 



87 



one had really risen from the dead. I then 
gave them some hard shots, on the subject of 
raising and circulating false reports. 

In order to show, in what manner God some- 
times brings sinners from the error of their 
ways unto himself, I will relate a case, as stated 
to me by brother Samuel Enterline, member of 
the United Brethren Pennsylvania Annual Con- 
ference. 

" I was travelling," said he, "through part of 
Schuylkill county, Pa. When I came towards 
the foot of Broad Mountain, intending to cross 
it before night, a heavy rain came up, by which 
I was completely drenched. Being wet to the 
skin, and not wishing to proceed on my route 
through the rain, fearing also, that I could not 
cross the mountain before dark, I began to look 
out for some farm house at which to stay over 
night. I espied one, soim distance from my 
route. I turned my horse towards it, and soon 
found myself in front of the dwelling. Eiding 
up to the door, the owner presented himself. 
I inquired of him : 

" Can you give me lodging in your house to- 
night ?" He answered, inquiringly, 

" I don't know. Where are you bound for ?" 
I responded, 



88 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



" I am on my way over the mountain, and 
intended to cross it before night. But, as it is 
raining so hard, I prefer making a halt until 
morning. " He replied, 

" You look like a preacher. Are you one?" 
I answered, 

"I try to preach sometimes." He said, ad- 
dressing his wife, 

" Well, wife ! what say you about giving 
this man quarters to-night ?" She answered, 

" I don't know how we can entertain him. 
We never kept a preacher over night." I said, 

" That is no reason why you should not give 
xne lodging. I can pay for it." She replied, 

" We are not prepared to keep strangers. 
Our accommodations are not suitable for preach- 
ers." I responded, 

" As to that, I can sleep upon a bench, and 
am willing to take things as they are. It does, 
not require much attention, to give me a night's 
lodging." 

This ended the preliminaries, and I assure 
you, I felt somewhat relieved from the fear of 
a night's adventure in the woods, when I heard 
her say, 

" Well, alight from your horse, and come into 
the house out of the rain. We will do the best 

for you we can." 



KEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



89 



Without further interlocution, I dismounted 
and went into the house. After some short 
time spent in conversation with the members of 
the family, mine host said, inquiringly, 

" Suppose I send out an appointment for you 
to preach in my house to-night. Will you 
preach for us ?" I answered, 

" I will try to do so." 

And so matters went on. The appointment 
was sent out. It being such a rainy evening, 
however, none came to it, save the family ; so 
that my congregation consisted of the host, his 
wife, and several grown up sons and daughters. 
I asked the farmer for a Bible. He said, " he 
had none in the house/' After some time 
spent in searching in cupboard corners, he 
brought me a few leaves of a worn out Lutheran 
hymn book, and a ragged scrap of an old sermon, 
which, together with a few school books, made 
up his library. 

The congregation being seated, mine host 
placed a chair just in front of the table, from 
behind which I was to hold forth. He seated 
himself upon it, and fronted me with eyes 
staring in my face, as if he never before had 
seen a preacher. So I gave out a hymn, sung 
and prayed ; and then took a text and com- 
L 7 



90 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



menced to preach. By the time I had got about 
the middle of my discourse, the old sinner in 
front of me gave way, and fell from his chair on 
the floor, bawling out: "I must die! I must die !" 
&e. The rest of the family became alarmed, and 
looked with consternation, as if old Nick had got 
into the room. His wife took hold of him, not 
knowing what was the matter, nor what to do, 
trying to lift him up. I told her to let him 
alone ; that he was not going to die then, but 
was under conviction. I would pray for him. 
By this time he had got upon his knees. I 
kneeled down and prayed in his behalf. He 
continued in agony, crying for mercy. This 
lasted about two hours. At length, he fell from 
his knees upon his back, and lay as if dead. — 
The family concluded, that he was dead, sure 
enough. "While he was lying in this condition, 
I sung a hymn : " There is joy in heaven," &c. 
While singing, he opened his eyes— looked at 
me — crying out, " I've got religion ! I've got 
religion !" He then sprang to his feet, caught 
me in his arms, and after giving me almost " a 
bear squeeze" fell to the floor, taking me with 
him. After he became settled, he arose and 
exhorted his family to seek the Lord, and since 
that time, that family have all been converted 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



91 



and are moving Zion-ward." And it was just 
in this way, that the good Lord commenced a 
work of grace in these parts. 



4 CHAPTER Vin. 

FIRST UNITED BRETHREN PREACHING IN CHAMBERS- 
BURG, ER AN KLIN COUNTY, PA. 

A few years before there were any members of 
the Church of the United Brethren in Christ re- 
siding in Chambersburg, Franklin county, Pa., 
brothers John Crider, Jacob Wingert, and my- 
self, frequently preached in that place. At first 
we preached in brother Braiser's house, to more 
hearers than the house could hold, many listen- 
ing outside, for want of room within. Some 
time after this, in the year 1818 or 1819, father 
John Oaks, a United brother, had settled with 
his family in Chambersburg, and wanted preach- 
ing in his house. I then preached alternately 
there and at Braiser's. In a short time these 
houses could not contain the people, who would 
come out to hear the preaching. At one of 
these meetings held in father Oaks' house, the 
Spirit of God came upon the people, like the 
"rushing of a mighty wind." Many of them 
felt the power of God, in a manner they had not 



92 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



experienced it before. There was one gener- 
al move among them at that time, some shout- 
ing, leaping and praising God for his mercy, in 
filling their hearts with his love, joy, and peace. 
I felt heaven upon earth within me. Upon the 
whole, we had a glorious meeting." Before dis- 
missing the people, I stated, that, if any persons 
present wished to unite together as one body, 
to serve the Lord, an opportunity would be 
afforded them to do so. Twenty-six persons 
came forward, and attached themselves to the 
Church of the United Brethren in Christ at that 
time. This was the origin of United Brethren- 
ism in Chambersburg. 

I then made an appointment for a meeting ? 
to be held, in two weeks following, at brother 
Braiser's, at 10 o'clock, A. M., and also at night. 
At the time appointed, I preached there to a 
large congregation. Many not being able to 
get into the house, the adjoining alley was fill- 
ed with people. 

Next morning brother Braiser and myself 
held a consultation upon the necessity of build- 
ing a church for our denomination. He at first 
smiled at the idea of raising money to build 
another church in Chambersburg, since there 
were so many churches in it already. I told 



REV. SAMUEL RUBER. 



93 



him to get up a subscription paper for that pur- 
pose. I would make the start and see what 
could be done. To this, after some hesitation, 
he agreed. After receiving the paper, I raised 
by subscription about $500, from residents in 
the Main street. Brothers Braiser and Flinder 
afterwards raised on the same subscription list, 
about $200 more. A house of worship was 
then erected, in which brother John Criderand 
myself preached alternately, every four weeks, 
in the German language. The congregation, 
at that time, was mostly German. And be it 
remembered, that the Church of the United 
Brethren in Christ in Chambersburg, was first 
established by the German Local Preachers. 
Subsequent to this, brother John Crider, with 
several other local preachers, and myself, sup- 
plied the congregation with German preaching 
every two weeks, alternately, for the space of 
about four years. The Church was then taken 
into the Circuit, and the congregation supplied 
with English and German preaching by the 
Circuit preachers. 

Somewhere about this time, brother Hablis- 
ton, J. "Wingert and Palmer, assisted me in 
holding a protracted meeting in Chambersburg. 
The work of the Lord broke out in a powerful 



! 



94 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

manner. The meeting continued about one 
week, during which time the mourners' bench 
was crowded with the slain. Old and young 
came to it, wrestling in prayer upon their knees, I 
many of whom were healed, and went on their 
way rejoicing, leading a new life. But since 
that time, it was remarked by brother A. 0., in 
Conference, in relation to this Church, that, "if 
the German preaching had continued as it had 
begun, it would have been better, but at pres- 
ent, it would be better to dispense with it alto- 
gether." Being present at that Conference, 
such an announcement as this went deep into 
my heart. ""What !" thought I, " is it possi- 
ble, that German preaching is no longer needed, 
nor wanted in Chambersburg ? Are* there no 
Germans there, who need the word of life ?" 

The above reflections induced me to call upon 
brother David Oaks. I said to him, " There 
must be a great change in the Church, since I 
was here last." He inquired, ""Why so?" I * 
repeated to him in substance, what brother A. 
0. had said in Conference, that " it would be 
better not to have German preaching in the 
Brethren Church." He replied, that, "if we 
had the right kind of German preachers, it would 
do." I requested him to make an appointment 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



95 



for me, which he did. At the time appointed, 
I attended, in company with brother D. Funk- 
houser. There was a large congregation, com- 
posed of members of different denominations, 
waiting to hear German preaching. Accord- 
ingly, I preached in that language, after which, 
brother Funkhouser followed with a German 
exhortation. After the meeting was closed, 
brother D. Oaks remarked, that, " there could 
not be collected a more respectable congrega- 
tion in Franklin county, than the one that had 
been assembled. " Brother Funkhouser and 
myself continued to preach alternately to the 
congregation in German for about eight years, 
during which time a number of German fami- 
lies united with it, until the commencement of 
brother B. Raber's administration over it. He 
preaches in German and in English. All this 
goes to show, that brother A. O.'s opinion re- 
specting German preaching here, was wide of 
the mark, and proves to a demonstration, the 
inconsistency of judging such matters accord- 
ing to his own notions. 

The annexed statement was furnished me by 
brother David Oaks : 

" In the year 1822 or 1823, in consequence of 
the increase of members in the congregation of 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, 
in Chambersburg, (corresponding with brother 
Huber's prior statement) a house of worship was 
erected on south Second street. To aid in 
building it, some of the brethren from the coun- 
try, came with their teams, hauling stone, lum- 
ber, &c. The first Trustees were, Henry Flin- 
der, Samuel Huber and John Oaks, Sr. Sam- 
uel Huber is yet a Trustee. It is now thirty- 
five years since the church w T as occupied. In 
the year 1852, the old church was taken down, 
and a larger one erected in its place. The num- 
ber of members continued to increase, and the 
congregation now numbers nearly two hundred 
members. In the course of the time elapsed, 
m&ny have been converted, a number of whose 
spirits now swell the happy triumphs of creating 
and redeeming love, and bask in the sunshine 
of eternal day." 

At the time brother John Russel was station- 
ed in Baltimore, on one occasion I paid him a 
visit. There were present six German preach- 
ers, one of whom had been a Roman Catholic 
priest, but had come out from Babylon. A re- 
ligious meeting being in progress in the Otter- 
bein church at the time, preaching and exhor- 
tation were had every evening, and on Sunday 



REV. SAMUEL H TIBER, 



97 



morning at 10 o'clock, in the German language. 
The word was sealed with the approbation of 
the Holy Spirit. It flew like shot sent into a 
flock of pigeons, killing and maiming many. 
Deep and pungent were the convictions wrought 
in some, whilst others were quickened by it. 
From twenty to thirty mourners presented 
themselves every night at the mourners' bench, 
soliciting prayer in their behalf. It was like 
unto the " day of Pentecost ;" some falling 
down, imploring mercy — others shouting victo- 
ry, having got through the pangs of the new 
birth — Christians praising God for all his bene- 
fits towards them, whilst others gazed on with 
astonishment. 

Amongst those who came out, seeking par- 
don, were old gray headed sinners, who had 
been slaves to their father, the devil, during their 
past lives. It was a heart-cheering sight to 
God's people, to behold these old sinners, some 
of them with walking staffs in their hands 
trembling under age and infirmity, with totter- 
ing steps making their way to, and kneeling at, 
the mourners' bench. One old man, with a 
staff in each hand, came bending forward and 
fell upon his knees in agony, weeping and pray- 
ing, until he was blest. Wonderful are the 



98 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 



mercies of God, in the conversion of old sin- 
ners ! 

A Roman Catholic young woman attended 
the meeting, whose heart the Spirit of God 
reached. She became deeply convicted of her 
sins. In this state of feeling, she came to the 
mourners' bench one evening, seeking pardon. 
She did not, however, receive the blessing at 
that time. In her distress, she afterwards went 
to the priest, as I was told, confessing her sins, 
and gave him one dollar to pardon them. He 
pronounced them pardoned ; but her load of guilt 
still remained upon her heart. She came out 
again to the bench, continuing in prayer; when 
the Great High Priest, Jesus of Nazareth, seal- 
ed the pardon to her soul. She sprang up from 
her knees, shouting, " There is none but Je- 
sus ; none but Jesus can pardon sin." She 
went through the congregation, exhorting her 
companions to flee to Jesus for pardon, and not 
to the priest ; as she had tried him, and he had 
done her no good. Next day when in company 
with some of her Catholic sisters, she gave vent 
to her happy feelings by singing hymns. One 
of them remarked, 

" Why ! you seem to be very happy. What 
makes you so ?" She replied : 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



^9 



" Yes, this is the happiest day I ever spent in 
my life. Jesus has pardoned my sins. Oh ! 
Jane, if you want to be happy, come to Jesus. 
He forgave me my sins, without money or price. 
You can get the same kind of blessing, if you 
will go to the Protestant meeting, and pray to 
God." 

That evening she brought Jane to the meet- 
ing, who also obtained true religion, and went 
forth, leaping and praising her Saviour — ex- 
horting sinners to flee the wrath to come. Many 
souls were converted, most of whom were for- 
eign Germans. They had left their " Father 
Land " to inherit another country, and, by this 
means, were made subjects of a kingdom, 
whose boundaries extend beyond earth's cares, 
and to which they have a title of inheritance, 
provided they prove faithful to the end of their 
earthly career. 

The preacher, who had come out from among 
the Romish priesthood, gave me the following 
narrative : He said, 

" I had been an ordained priest, in the city of 
Rome, for seven years, during which time I had 
not read the Bible, and knew but little of its 
contents. At one time, when setting upon a 
a bench in front of my house, a book pedlar 



J 00 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



came along, offering his articles for sale.— 
Among them, I saw a pamphlet written by a 
woman, who had been a Roman Catholic, but 
had renounced Catholicism, and went to anoth- 
er country, where she published the book. In 
it, she gave a statement of her experience, and 
why she renounced popery, and to prove that she 
was correct in so doing, she made a number of 
references to the Holy Scriptures. The reading 
of this pamphlet created an anxiety in my mind 
to read the Scriptures ; but not having them in 
my possession, I went to the Bishop, requesting 
the loan of a Bible. He gave me one, at the same 
time, cautioning me not to read too much of it 
at one time, fearing it would lead me astray, 
and adding, it was a book to be read only by 
the Bishops, such of them as were firmly estab- 
lished in the doctrines of the Church. 

After I received the Bible, and began to read 
its contents, I became so much interested in its 
precepts, that, without respect to the Bishop's 
injunctions, I continued to peruse it almost day 
and night, and by comparing my experience 
and knowledge of Romanism with the Bible, I 
was convinced, that the Church of Rome is the 
antichrist spoken of in the Scripture. I besought 
God for heavenly wisdom and knowledge. He 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 101 

imparted it to me. 1 found that peace, which 
passeth understanding. I now saw plainly that 
the Romish priests were not God's prophets, 
and that they were in almost total darkness re- 
specting the nature of true religion. God's 
ministers receive their instructions from the 
Bible and inspiration; but Romish priests de- 
rive theirs from dogmas, authorizing creeds and 
practices contrary to the precepts of the Bible. 
Romanism makes no converts through convert- 
ing grace. Its proselytes are made through 
outward shows, such as splendid cathedrals — 
churches — colleges, and other accessible insti- 
tutions, fitted up with beauty and splendor to 
please the eye. By such means mankind are 
captivated and led astray from the truth of the 
Bible, through the Roman Catholic Church. 

In view of these things, I thought it my duty 
to cry aloud against the errors of Popery. I 
called upon my brother-in-law, a Lutheran, and 
informed him of the change wrought in my 
heart. I told him, that I intended to preach 
against popery, and point out to the people the 
great wrong done them by the priesthood, in 
withholding the Scriptures from them. He ad- 
vised me to keep quiet upon that subject ; for if 
1 spoke in that manner, the priests would soon 



102 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 



put me out of the way. He, however, added, 
that, if I felt it my duty to preach against the 
errors of the Church, I should go to France, 
where there was more liberty to preach among 
the Protestants. 

Accordingly, I left Rome, and the Roman 
Catholic Church, and went to France. After 
arriving there, I sought acquaintance with Pro- 
testant ministers — gave them my views respect- 
ing Romanism — told them I intended to preach 
against it, &c. I was informed, that, if I did so 
in France, my preaching would be for a very 
short time. The priests would soon give me 
the quietus. They advised me to go to Eng- 
land, and furnished me with proper recommen- 
dations. 

Seeing my way shut up here, I embarked for 
England. After arriving there, I became a 
member of the Methodist Church and a preacher 
among them ; and being acquainted with six 
different languages, I was sent by that Church 
as a missionary to the heathen. When I arriv- 
ed amongst them with my wife, they would not 
permit us to come into their dwellings. I in- 
quired of them, why they would not receive us ? 
It was answered, that they themselves read the 
Bible, and it spoke against lying, stealing, mur- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 103 

der, debauchery, and all such bad things, which 
the Christians were always doing. From this, 
they concluded, that they, the Christians, did 
not believe the Bible, or they would not do such 
bad things. Therefore, they did not want the 
Christians to send missionaries amongst them, 
to teach doctrines which they neither believe nor 
lived up to themselves, alleging, that the heath- 
en did not do such evil things, and could live 
better without the missionaries, and so matters 
stood. My wife and myself had to make our 
bed during six months, under a white oak tree. 
After this, we were permitted to live in a hut. 
As I found, after three year's trial, that I could 
do no good here, I left and returned to England. 
From thence, I came to Am erica.' ' 

Before I close this chapter, I will give an ac- 
count of an old church, as it was related to me 
by a Baltimorean. 

There was an old Methodist church, located 
in the city of Baltimore, in which the congrega- 
tion worshipping there, had enjoyed many sea- 
sons of spiritual refreshing from the presence 
of the Lord. In the progress of time, as the 
population, pride, and wealth of the city increas- 
ed, it was thought by the "elite " of this con- 
gregation, that the old church stood too far out 



104 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



of the way. It was inconvenient for the u par 
excellence," and had become unpopular. A new 
church should, therefore, be erected, more con- 
tiguous to the dwellings of the higher classes. 
To this the congregation should be removed, 
and worship there, instead of in the old church. 
It was also predicted at the same time, that 
much more good would be accomplished by the 
change. It did not enter into the brains of 
those fashionable prophets, that the Lord has as 
much regard for the unpopular and poor portion 
of society, as he has for those who live in splen- 
did houses. 

Accordingly, a new church was erected in a 
more popular and fashionable part of the city. 
The congregation removed from the old church 
into the new one, to worship. But some how 
or other, things would not move on right. 
The preaching was powerless, exhortations dry, 
prayer lifeless, and singing insipid. No stir, 
w r hatever could be raised amongst the people, 
when they met in the new church to worship. 
The meetings concluded as they began, in a 
dead form of worship, greatly to the discourage- 
ment of the spiritual and living part of the con- 
gregation. And thus matters went on. 

During this time, there was an old local 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 105 

preacher belonging to the same congregation, 
living not far from the old church. He would 
often call to his remembrance the good old 
meetings he had experienced in it, and how he 
had been blessed in preaching— in prayer and 
class meetings. Along with this, he remember- 
ed also the happy moments and joyful seasons, 
which, in conjunction with his brethren, he " oft 
times felt on Canaan's road," when worshipping 
in the good old weather beaten church. Pon- 
dering over these things, his heart felt bowed 
down with sorrow, to think that these good old 
fashioned religious meetings were no longer in 
continuance there. Influenced by such reflec- 
tions, he thought he would go into the old do- 
main by himself, and, in secret prayer, wait 
upon the Lord, believing, that, as the Lord had 
formerly revealed the arm of his power in it, 
le had not forsaken the place, although the con- 
gregation had done so. With such views, he 
)btained the key of the old church — went there 
3very evening for some time — knelt down in 
:he altar, and plead with God in secret prayer. 
The people in the neighborhood, seeing him re- 
port to the church so frequently, became curious 
o know what he was doing there. In order to 
^certain this, some of them followed, and dis- 
8 



106 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



covering his object, went in with him, and en- 
gaged in prayer also. Thus the number in- 
creased from time to time, until the house be- 
came filled with people. He then began to 
preach to them, when a revival of religion broke 
out, in which over one hundred souls were con- 
verted to God in the old church during that 
winter. So much for holding on in the good 
old way. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

BUSH AND CAMP MEETINGS — TRAFFICERS EXPELLED. 

Some years ago, we held a meeting near Eeo- 
mer's school house, on the "Warm Spring road, 
Franklin county, Pa. The Methodist and Uni- 
ted Brethren union tents were set up together. 
The meeting was appointed by brother Augus- 
tus Bickly and Jeremiah Senseny. At their re- 
quest, brother Jacob Wingert and myself attend- 
ed. Preaching commenced on Saturd ay evening, 
and was continued on Sunday morning and at 
night. At the 10 o'clock meeting on Monday 
morning, one woman was brought under con- 
viction, and soon obtained the blessing. In the 
evening the work of God broke out in torrents 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



107 



of power. Seven mourners came to the bench, 
calling for mercy, most of whom got religion 
that night. 

The meeting was continued during the week. 
On the following Sunday crowds of people at- 
tended. I baptized three persons in the creek 
not far from the meeting ground. In the even- 
ing preaching was continued. The work was 
still in progress. Eighteen persons professed to 
have passed from death unto life during this 
meeting. At the close of the meeting, there 
was deep religious feeling, which was expressed 
in various ways ; some by means of rolling tears 
— others with clapping of hands — some by 
shouting, &c. Altogether, it was a scene of 
thanksgiving for what the Head of the Church 
had done for their souls. ¥e parted, rejoicing 
on our journey home. 

At one time, in company with brother New- 
comer, I went to a camp meeting below York, 
Pa., held on brother Hershinger's land. A 
goodly number of old and young preachers at- 
tended. The preachers came to this meeting 
armed with tht whole armor of God. Having 
the " material" the grace of God in their hearts, 
they sent forth firebrands and arrows in al- 
most every direction. The power of God came 



108 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



down like the cataract which thunders down the 
Niagara, sweeping in its current all before it. 
Sinners were cut to the heart. Some fell upon 
the ground, crying aloud for mercy. Others 
were groaning in agony, unable to express their 
feelings. Some were shouting, and others look- 
ing on with amazement, wondering at such pro- 
ceedings. So great was the excitement one 
night, that preaching was dispensed with. 
Talking to the mourners — singing— and prayer 
were continued during the night. The work 
went on bravely. There the devil lost some of 
his old gray-headed servants. Such are rare 
cases to be sure. It is seldom that old harden- 
ed sinners, after spending the greater part of 
their time in the devil's service, get religion. 
Nevertheless there are some who do. God's 
mercy is not to be limited by man's compre- 
hension. Deep and mysterious are the ways of 
him, who "plants his footsteps in the sea and 
maketh his chariot in the clouds." 

One old man came running up into the 
preachers' stand, and threw himself down in it, 
exclaiming : u Here lies one old damned sin- 
ner. Pray for me before the devil gets me." 
Much prayer was offered in his behalf. Ere 
long he obtained reconciling mercy. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



109 



Another old man was seen shouting by him- 
self outside of the altar. I went up to him, in- 
quiring, " how it was that he got blest by him- 
self/' He answered, that "he had come to the 
camp meeting merely to pass time, having no 
idea that these people would work upon his 
mind. But, by listening to the preaching, and 
observing the scenes of the meeting, he discov- 
ered, that he was in a sinful and lost condition, 
which caused him to pray, casting himself upon 
God's mercy through Jesus Christ. God blest 
him, and that made him praise the Lord in the 
way he was doing." It was truly a pleasing 
scene, to see and to hear this old gray-headed 
man shouting " victory to God and the Lamb." 

Thirty-two persons came forward at the close 
of the meeting, and gave in their names as those 
who had obtained a saving interest in the mer- 
its of Jesus Christ. After this we left the meet- 
ing, thanking God for the salvation of man- 
kind. 

At another time, I attended a camp meeting 
near Turkey Hill, Lancaster county, Pa. A 
great many preachers of different religious de- 
nominations were present. A consultation was 
held, respecting the propriety of placing a guard 
throughout the camp, for the purpose of keep- 



110 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ing order. After some talk about the matter, 
it was decided against the measure. The ob- 
jectors said, " We want no guard. "We look 
to the Lord to guard us." 

So, after the Christians had assembled and 
pitched their tents, Satan also came among 
them, in the shape of beer-sellers, rum-deal- 
ers, and trafficers in merchandize of various 
kinds. These agents of Satan backed their 
wagons in between the tents, and kept dealing 
out their traffic in great cheer, without restraint. 
There were to be seen some drinking rum — 
beer — and eating cakes, apples, &c. ; others 
having tobacco leaves rolled up in the shape of 
cigars, between their teeth, puffing out volumes 
of smoke from their mouth, like the escape of 
steam through the leak of a steam boiler ; oth- 
ers again, having large quids of tobacco be- 
tween their cheeks, kept squirting its juice over 
the seats. Dandies in human shapes, with their 
arms interlocked with those of females of the 
same stamp, were strolling over the ground. 
Rowdies of all sorts, sizes and costumes, with 
whips in hand, were scampering about — walk- 
ing over the seats in order to raise a dust Some 
were standing in the altar, embracing their 
lasses, with their arms around their necks. It 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



Ill 



appeared as if the flood gates of pandemonium 
had broken loose. 

The whole presented a scene, more like unto 
a market — or fair, in full exercise, than that of 
a religious camp meeting. In short 3 to an ob- 
server who did not believe in the existence of 
the soul in the human body, the aphorism of 
"Father Gruber," when he said, alluding to 
rowdies at a camp meeting, " There they go, 
like a pair of fire tongs, with two legs — one 
head — without a soul," would have given the 
most correct illustration of the two legged ani- 
mals on the camp ground. Those brethren, 
who were opposed to placing a guard on the 
ground to keep order, began to find out that 
they were too weak in faith, and that they had 
made wrong calculations, by expecting God to 
do for them what they had the ability to do for 
themselves. For it was plainly to be seen, that 
the Lord did not put a stop to the evil at the 
time. Hence we infer, that, to depend upon 
God to do a work for us, which lies within the 
sphere of our own faculties, is presumption, and 
not trice faith. 

But we must return to the proceedings of 
the meeting. On Saturday night preaching 
was attempted ; but such was the continued con- 



112 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



fusion and inattention of the people, caused by 
the disorderly conduct of the unruly part of the 
large assembled multitude, that it was given 
over for that night. Matters being thus situ- 
ated, it was thought necessary to have recourse 
to the proper authorities, in order to put a stop 
to the traffic and disorder on the ground. But 
there were few persons at the time, who had the 
moral courage to make complaint. Next morn- 
ing, brother Joseph Hoffman and myself spoke 
to a Magistrate, who was then on the ground, 
requesting him to enforce the laws, and have 
those " dealers " removed. It so happened, 
however, that this "Squire" was one of that 
sort of officials who connive at the violation of 
law, even when done in their own presence, 
having the fear of the world more than the fear 
of God before their eyes. 

At first he refused to interfere in the matter, 
assigning as a reason why he should not, that 
there were too many trafficers to dispose of. 
Many of them were influential characters. 
Therefore, it would be impossible to oust them. 
He no doubt feared, that, if he molested them, 
his popularity and interest might be at stake. 
Being determined, however, to put a stop to the 
molestations of the meeting, I told him, that if 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 113 

he did not do his duty in the case, as a Magis- 
trate, we would have him indicted in the Lan- 
caster county Court for non-performance. This 
did the business. Fearing a prosecution, he 
commenced operations upon the transgressors, 
by explaining to them the laws in the case. In 
a few hours, trafficers — beer — cakes — rum — 
horses and wagons disappeared from the ground. 
Order was then restored. There was no fur- 
ther opposition to the progress of the meeting 
from that source. 

Preaching, exhortation, singing and prayer 
then commenced. Much power attended the 
religious exercises. Brother Gideon Smith and 
Joseph Neiding, with some others, got religion 
there, as I was informed. When Neiding was 
blest, his father being present, exclaimed, " It 
is enough, my son Joseph is made alive." 

In company with brother John Crider, I left 
the camp, and went to a protracted meeting in 
Pfoutz's Valley, at brother Hoffman's. Here 
believers were stirred up through the word 
preached. It was, what was then called, a good 
time amongst the professors. Leaving this 
place, homeward, we crossed the Juniata river, 
near Millerstown, and went through Eaccoon 
Valley, across the mountain, to Sherman's Val~ 



114 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ley. When we arrived at Sherman's Valley \ 
creek, it had swollen to a great height ; and i 
what made the passage more dangerous, it was 
night and very dark. Brother Crider, riding a \ 
safe horse, went into the creek first, in order to 
sound the way. He had not proceeded far be- 
fore his horse was middle deep in water. Not 
thinking it safe to proceed, he returned out of 
the water. "We were at a loss what course to 
pursue. On looking around us, we saw a light 
at some distance, proceeded towards it and came 
to a house. A man came out. We made in- 
quiries respecting the passage of the creek, and 
informed him that we had an appointment to 
preach at Peter Brown's that evening. He told 
us that no person could cross the creek in its 
present condition, without knowing the proper 
fording. He went with us a considerable dis- 
tance, carrying a lighted candle, and gave us the 
proper directions to cross the creek. We then 
proceeded on our course and arrived safe, about 
9 o'clock, at brother Peter Brown's house, 
where a large congregation was waiting for us. 
We were both fatigued, and hungry, having 
traveled a great distance that day without much 
refreshment. But, as the people were waiting 
so long, we had to preach and exhort before 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



115 



eating supper. We had a good meeting. Next 
morning we resumed our journey, and arrived 
safely at home, after riding seventy-five miles in 
two days. This was the most wearisome jour- 
ney I ever made. 



CHAPTER X. 

CURIOUS NOTIONS — CAMP MEETINGS — WAGONERS SCA- 
RED. 

There are some people, who, when they adopt 
an opinion with regard to external forms in re- 
ligion, at once conclude, that they are the only 
right sort of folks in the world, and that there is 
no other way to be converted than in the same 
outward position, in which they obtained the 
pardon of their sins. By outward position, we 
mean, either sitting, kneeling, standing, or ly- 
ing on the ground in prayer ; or sprinkling, im- 
mersion backward or forward, in baptism. 
Some weak-minded, good meaning people will 
tell us, that, inasmuch as they got religion in a 
certain position, there is no other way to obtain 
it, except that in which they experienced it. 
Now, according to holy writ, it must be admit- 
ted, that there is but one right way to come to 



116 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



God for pardon of sin, and that is, by " re- 
pentance towards God, and faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ.' ' To this doctrine, all true Chris- 
tians do and must assent. But, with regard to 
the bodily posture at the time of passing through 
the " New Birth/' there is, and may be, a dif- 
ference. Though this is not material in itself, 
yet, such is the force of first impressions made 
upon the mind in certain cases, especially when 
the change undergone is great and sudden, that 
it takes years of experience to remove them, if 
they are removed at all. 

Now, to show the inconsistency of holding on 
with an obstinate grasp to the single idea, that 
there is but one posture in which a person can 
get blest, I will relate a few cases, as they were 
given to me : 

" A certain man, living in Lancaster county, 
Pa., some years ago, got under conviction, and 
began to pray to God. He went about praying 
in almost every corner for a long time, without 
finding relief. It carne into his mind one day, 
that, if he wanted to get religion, he must be 
baptized by immersion. At once he resolved 
to do so, and when he went into the water he 
had faith that God would bless him, and so it 
turned out. He got religion in the very act of 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



117 



immersion. From this he argued, that, as he 
had been seeking the Lord for a long time, but 

I did not find him, until he went under the water, so 
that was the only true way, and there is no other, 
through which to obtain religion. And as he 
was one of those kind of religionists, who are 
always trying to blow their own notions into oth- 
er persons' brains, this was his theme wherever 
he went. It was nothing but under water bap- 
tism with him. At the same time, he found 
fault with his brethren for not adopting the 
same faith, and undergoing the like process." 

At one time, when arguing in favor of his 
topic with the Eev. Christopher Grosh, the latter 
told him, that " he knew a man who had been 
awakened to a sense of his sins, and went about 
from place to place, seeking the Lord in prayer, 
just as he had done. At one time this person 
was in his barn on his knees, when it came in- 
to his mind, that he should go up into the gar- 

- ret in his house to pray. Following the im- 
pression, he arose from his knees — left the barn 
— went into the house — and in the act of going 
up the stairs, before reaching the garret, his 
soul was set at liberty. This proves," continu- 
ed Grosh, "that a person can be converted 
without immersion ; for it is not likely that he 



l _ . m iiium 

118 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

could be dipped under water in the act of ascend- 
ing the stairs in a house." The immersionist 
was " mum." 

Another case : Brother Bowlus told me, that 
there was a young man employed in his factory, 
who was seeking religion for a length of time 
before he found it. During this time he had 
some strange notions in his head. Wherever I 
he went to pray, it was suggested, that he could 
not be blest there. He must go to another 
place. When he went to another place, he was 
impressed with the idea, that that was not the ! 
right place yet. One night, while in prayer in 
the factory, it was suggested to his mind, that 
he should go out into the South mountain, near 
by, to pray. He arose from his knees — went 
up into mountain — kept wandering about until 
day break — and not finding peace to his heart, 
he returned towards the factory, plunging 
through mud and water. He went into the 
factory — knelt down— wrestled in prayer, and 
got the blessing. Brother Bowlus said, " that 
he thought, the devil was fooling the young 
man all the time." The reader may form his 
own opinion about these cases. In the mean 
time, I will resume my narrative. 

At a big meeting held at brother John 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEK. 



119 



Shank's, near Millerstown, Lebanon county, 
Pa., the seed of God's word was sown. Many 
embraced religion. The work spread from 
there throughout the surrounding country. In 
about one year, upwards of one hundred per- 
sons professed to have experienced a change of 
heart. From there, in company with brother 
John Crider, I went to Lebanon and preached 
in father Lightich's house. Brothers Gideon 
Smith and Jacob Erb assisted at this meeting. 
After leaving this meeting, on our way home, 
brother Crider and myself preached in Mil- 
lerstown, Spring creek, Shupp's church and 
Stoughstown. 

Some years ago, at the request of several Lu- 
theran and German Eeformed brethren, I was 
sent for, and conveyed in a sleigh to a meeting 
at New Franklin, Franklin county, Pa. I 
preached on Saturday night, Sabbath morning 
at 10 o'clock, and in the evening. There was a 
goodly number of mourners. I intended to 
close the meeting for that night, in consequence 
of the crowded state of the house. I accord- 
ingly told the brethren that the mourners had 
better be taken to a private house for prayer. 
At this a woman spoke out : " What ! shall we 
break up the meeting, when five persons are 



120 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



lying upon the floor in distress !" 

We then continued the meeting by singing- 
prayer and encouraging the mourners. While 
things were thus going forward, a certain man 
asked me, 

" How is it, that you can repeat Scripture in 
your preaching, with such rapidity and correct- 
ness ?" I replied, 

" I have a good tender." He responded, 
"I don't understand you." I explained, 
" When a brick layer has a good tender, he 
can hand him the brick as fast as needed. So 
when God's ministers are in the right spirit for 
preaching, he inspires them with words as fast 
as they need them. God spoke by the pro- 
phets of old, through his Spirit, and by the 
same Spirit, he speaks through his faithful min- 
isters in these latter days." 

Brother Strawbridge came to the meeting, 
after which I left. It continued for some time* 
A number of souls were brought to yield to di- 
vine influences, and set out for a new life. 

On another occasion brother A. Bickly and 
J. Senseny, had appointed a Bush meeting 
near the Warm Spring road, on brother John 
Snyder's place. By request, brothers J. Win- 
gert, D. Whisler, D. Funkhouser, and myself 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



121 



attended. The first night, after preaching, the 
work of God broke out by reviving the hearts 
of the people, and bringing sinners to feel their 
lost condition. Every night during the meet- 
ing, old and young persons fell prostrate before 
the altar, crying out for mercy. After remain- 
ing at the meeting for some days, I left. It 
was, however, continued by other brethren. 

At another time, a meeting was held in Sny- 
der's school house, commencing on Saturday 
night. On the Sunday following, there was 
such a turn out of people, that the house could 
not contain them. So we had to hold the meet- 
ing and preach in the woods that day, and also 
at night ; and there being no preparations for 
light to hold the meeting at night, I told the 
people, that, if they would come out in the even- 
ing and behave themselves, we would preach to 
them by moon light. To this they assented by 
nodding their heads. So, at night, with the 
light of two candles and one lantern, we had 
preaching by moon light, to an overwhelming 
congregation. All behaved well. There was 
no disturbance whatever. 

In the fall of 1855, in conjunction with broth- 
ers Funkhouser, Bickly, Senseny and J. C. 
Smith, a Bush meeting was held on David 
9 



122 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



Slichter's place, three miles from my residence, 
which continued two weeks. The work of 
grace went on rapidly. On the second Sunday, 
after preaching in the woods, the evening ap- 
pointment was made to be at my house. Here 
the work of the Lord continued to progress in 
an extraordinary manner. Souls were born 
again every night. Those who were converted 
at the Bush meeting, together with those who 
were converted in my house, numbered twenty- 
seven, most of whom are still moving on in 
the good old way. 

In the following Spring, another meeting was 
held at my house, during which time there were 
fourteen conversions. 

In the fall of 1857, brother Funkhouser and 
myself held a union meeting in Botler's School 
house, near St. Thomas. At this meeing, the 
word preached was attended with such demon- 
strations of the Holy Spirit, that twenty-two 
trophies were added to the victories of grace 
over the devil, by the conversion of their souls. 

Before closing this chapter, I will relate a 
case, in which a tavern keeper lost customers by 
having family prayer in his house. At the 
time Philip Bishop was living in Littlestown, 
Adams county, Pa., he kept a tavern for the 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



123 



accommodation of travelers, &c. He request- 
ed me to come there and preach in his new 
store room, before the counters were placed in 
it. This house was separate from his tavern. 
When I arrived there on Saturday evening, a 
great many wagoners were there, with their 
teams, who had put up at his house for the 
night. Father Bishop, not wishing me to re- 
main with the wagoners in the bar-room, took 
me into his dining room, where we had social 
conversation until bed time. When about to 
retire for the night, his wife requested me to 
sing and pray, stating that preachers seldom put 
up at their house. She, therefore, wished me 
to pray with them. Accordingly, I complied 
with her request, and while so engaged, the 
wagoners in the bar-room, next to the room we 
occupied, made considerable tumult. They 
were gazing with astonishment, through the 
opening left by a broken pain of glass in the 
door window, which separated the two rooms. 
Some of them pulled each other back from it, in 
order to make room for themselves to look 
through. They all wondered at this strange 
phenomenon, public prayer in a tavern ! Such 
a scene as this, was a new thing under the sun, 
especially in such a place and at such a time. 



124 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



After looking on for some time, and not seeing 
any person injured, nor likely to be so, through 
family worship, they beca me quiet. 

After I had retired to rest, I was thinking 
how I should manage things in the morning, 
there being so many wagoners in the house. 
So, after I arose next morning and walked into 
the yard, lo, and behold, men, horses, and 
wagons were all gone. They had remo ved to 
another house during the night, no doubt fear- 
ing there would be more religious worship in 
the morning. Thus it appeared, that my sing- 
ing and praying had scared them all away, and 
father Bishop lost some customers by permit- 
ting family worship in his house at that time. I 
then preached to a large audience that day, 
Sunday, at 10 o'clock, in the store room. Af- 
ter this, I partook of dinner with father Bishop; 
then left, and arrived home at 11 o'clock that 
night, a distance of over forty miles. One of the 
wagoners referred to above, got religion after- 
wards, became a preacher, and is still moving 
in that sphere. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



125 



CHAPTER XL 

VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. 

At a camp meeting held at one time near 
Plickinger's mill, on the land formerly owned 
by brother Philip Laymaster, when deliver- 
ing an exhortation, on Wednesday, I quoted 
Isaiah 9: 14, "Therefore, the Lord will cut 
off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, 
in one day." In my remarks upon this subject, I 
alluded to the times of old, under the Mosaic law, 
in which God commanded transgressors of his 
law to be stoned and otherwise punished ; and 
showed, that if he would exercise his power in 
judgments in the present day, as he formerly 
did, by cutting off from the Church transg res- 
sors, such as liars, drunkards, swearers, Sabbath 
breakers, extortioners, hypocrites, &c, &c, 
there would be in many Churches but few 
members left; transgressors of this description 
being so very numerous in our day. TV Mist 
thus speaking, I felt the spirit of utterance and 
power. An old proverb says : " That a wound- 
ed pigeon flutters" The word went home to the 
hearts of some hearers, which was evident at 



126 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the time. For while the congregation was at- 
tentively listening to the discourse, uttering re- 
peated responses of Amen, on a sudden, a man 
sprang up in the midst of it, with angry looks 
and gestures, shook his fists at me, vociferating, 
that if I would preach the truth, he would list- 
en to me ; but as I was preaching damned lies, 
he would not listen. He went out of the con- 
gregation in a great rage, swearing at me as he 
w r ent off. 

This sudden interruption, made in such a 
stormy-like manner, raised an uproar among th e 
audience. Preachers and people were affected 
by it in different ways. Some having been 
T)lefct through the word spoken, with tears roll- 
ing down their cheeks, got to shouting — others 
resorted to praying, and giving thanks, that 
sinners were being cut to the heart ; whilst 
others, not relishing such plain talk, partook of 
the \ spirit of the " man in a. rage," and let loose 
in strains of language similar to his. It appear- 
ed a Iso, that some of the preachers and brethren, 
faint hearts, not wishing to offend the father of 
lies,; took umbrage at some of the words in my 



exhc 
term 
siom 



rtation, saying, that I was too severe in my 
s, and should have used more polite expres- 
i than such words as " Head," " Tail/ 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



127 



" Branch," and "Rush." I told one of the 
preachers, that I had preached Bible doctrine 
and words, and if he did not believe it to be so, 
he should go home to Lancaster county and read 
his Bible ; and he would find out that I was cor- 
rect in what I had said. 

The man who had shaken his fist at me, and 
went off in a rage, returned to his brother's tent 
on the following Friday evening, without my 
knowledge at the time. His brother sent for 
me to the preachers' tent, with a request that I 
should come to his tent. "When I came there, 
Behold ! there was the disturber, who had sha- 
ken his fists at me. He looked chap fallen — 
was convicted of the error of his ways, and be- 
gan to apologize — saying that he was truly sor- 
ry for having sinned against me, and asked my 
forgiveness. I told him, that he had sinned 
against God Almighty, and not against me ; that 
he should pray to God to forgive him his trans- 
gressions. He asked me to " pray for him." I 
replied, 

" If you want me to pray for you, are you 
willing to come out to the altar, and show the 
people that you have repented of your evil do- 
ings." He answered, 

" Yes, I am." 



128 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



I then took him by the arm and lead him out 
into the altar, in the presence of the congrega- 
tion and of the preachers in the stand. After 
wrestling in prayer for some time, "he got reli- 
gion." 

Here was another ocular demonstration of 
the power of God, in changing this lion into a 
lamb. Here also might have been seen, if 
brethren were not wilfully blind, the inconsistency 
in men, who profess to be called of God to de- 
clare his word, in "dodging " the question, by 
withholding part of Scripture denunciations 
against the workers of iniquity. This case 
should have convinced those brethren, who 
looked shy at me at the time for crying out 
against the wicked in the manner I did, that, 
when the truth is spoken, although it may not 
appear to world-pleasing professors so nice, nev- 
ertheless, God seals it with his approbation to 
the heart. 

But, that there were, and still are, some half- 
hearted divines, who have the fear of the world 
more than the fear of God before their eyes, is 
nothing new. It was thus when Christ first 
preached against the iniquities of his days in the 
flesh. His doctrine struck with equal force at 
the sins of the priesthood, and those of the laity. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



129 



It took deep root and cut to the heart, which 
caused him to be persecuted by some of his 
brethren. " For if they do these things in a green 
tree, what shall be done in the dry ?" " The 
disciple is not above his master, nor the servant 
above his Lord." Therefore, it is no marvel, 
that a divine, who preaches the truth, the whole 
truth, as God requires it of him to do, should 
meet with persecution from some of his minis- 
terial brethren, in these latter days. 

I will now bid adieu to this camp meeting, 
and introduce one instance, out of many whi ch 
could be cited, which proves that a few words 
spoken in season, when sealed by the Spirit of 
God upon the heart, though unexpected at the 
time, have been, and may still be, the means 
through which a sinner is brought -out of his 
spiritual slumbers into the light of the gospel. 

At a meeting held by father Boehm, in the 
open field, near York, Pa., a great many people 
attended. In those days, people wore large 
boots and spurs. Among the attendants at the 
meeting, was a certain Doctor Peter Senseny, 
who walked about the ground, having his legs 
ensconsed within a large pair of riding boots, and 
spurs. Father Boehm, in expatiating upon the 
wickedness of the times, exclaimed ! " Some sin- 



180 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 



ners are going to hell with boots and spurs on 
their legs." These words entered the ears of 
Senseny with an impressive force. Going to 
hell with boots and spurs ! Going to hell with 
boots and spurs ! continued to reverberate in 
his mind, producing serious reflections in regard 
to the course of his life, and finding himself on 
the broad road to " hell/' he was convicted of 
the error of his ways, — sought the Lord — and 
obtained a change of heart. He afterwards 
moved to Winchester, Virginia. 

" He was an early member of the United 
Brethren Church, and for some years, up to the 
time of his death, which took place in 1804," a 
useful preacher in it. " Doctor Senseny was 
one of those kind of physicians who administer- 
ed to both body and soul. In his attendance 
on the sick, he recommended the great " Phy- 
sician of souls, Jesus." " He would often kneel 
at the bedside of his patients," and address the 
throne of grace in their behalf. " His kindness, 
piety, and charity to the poor secured to him 
the respect, esteem, and love of all who came 
within the sphere of his acquaintance. His 
last illness was very brief. He had but a few 
days' notice of his approaching death. He met 
this sudden call with Christian resignation, — 



I 



REV, SAMUEL HUEER, 



131 



and left the world with joy and peace," saying, 
"Lord Jesus, I come." 

During the time Doctor Senseny resided in 
York, there was a Mr. Dehuff, whose son, then 
about seventeen years of age, was much afflict- 
ed in body — and not knowing the nature of his 
complaint, his father sent him to Dr. Sen- 
seny for advice, &c. 

"When the boy came to Senseny, after exam- 
ination, the Doctor told him that he was con- 
sumpted, and he could not cure him. He ad- 
vised him to pray to God, and prepare for the 
next world, adding, that if God converted his 
soul, it might be possible that he would also 
heal his body. On the lad's return home, he told 
his father what the Doctor had said to him, and 
betook himself to prayer. This gave much offence 
to the father. The idea that his son might be 
healed through prayer, was foreign to his views. 
He told him to cease praying ; that he did not 
want any such things as prayer in his family, 
and if he did not give it over, he should leave 
his house, and seek a home elsewhere. 

The son rather than give up seeking the Lord, 
left his father's house, to seek a home among 
strangers. At the same time, he knew not 
where to go. But having heard something about 



132 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OP 



old father Guething, that he was a good reli- 
gions man, who lived about eighty miles from 
his father's residence, he directed his course 
that way. "When he came to Guething, he gave 
him an account of his situation, and Guething, 
being one of those kind of Christians who nev- 
er send the distressed empty away, requested 
him to tarry at his house — procured employ- 
ment for him, and advised him to continue in 
prayer to God. To this advice the boy earnest- 
ly adhered, until he found the pearl of great 
price. After this, he continued to serve his di- 
vine master, — and was healed of his malady — 
became a preacher of the Gospel, and lived to 
the age of seventy years. He then u died tri- 
umphant in the faith.' ' This furnishes another, 
out of many cases, in which when Doctors could 
not even heal the body, God cured both soul 
and body. 

On one occasion, brother Draksel and his 
colleague, had an appointment in Hill Valley, 
at a log cabin. "When they came to it towards 
evening, the man of the house and his wife 
came to the door, the man saying, 

" Here are the preachers, and we have noth- 
ing to give them to eat for their supper.' > 
Draksel inquired. 



t 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 133 

" Have you hay for our horses ?" To which 
it was answered, 

"Yes, sir, we can feed them/' Draksel re- 
joined, 

" Well, if you can do no better, we must be 
satisfied. Give the horses some hay ; as for our- 
selves we can fast over night.' ' The man said, 

" We are truly sorry, that we cannot give you 
better fare. We have neither flour nor meat in 
the house." The wife added, 

" We have some apples. So you need not 
fast altogether." Draksel replied, 

" God's ministers must take such fare as they 
can get. The Saviour had not where to lay his 
head. The poor must have the gospel preached 
unto them." 

And so it was. The woman brought them 
a basket full of apples, upon which they made 
their supper that evening. During preaching 
and other religious exercises, the loss of their 
supper was more than made up w T ith spiritual 
food. That was a refreshing season from the 
presence of the Lord to that family, and other 
persons present, that night. Both preachers 
and people were fed w^ith heavenly manna 
through the word preached. And here was ful- 
filled the prophecy, "Man shall not live by 



134 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of God." 

Sometime about the year 1819, father DehufF, 
formerly the boy who was driven from his fath- 
er's house for praying, M. Bear, and myself, 
held a meeting in day time in brother Peter 
Hawbeeker's house in Greencastle, Franklin 
county, Pa. Brother Bear preached, after which 
I exhorted, and as he was somewhat eccentric, 
loud and lively in his preaching, his appearance 
created no little stir amongst the people. Some 
of them were gaping in at the windows, which 
were open at the time ; others from across the 
street kept mimicking the preacher, during his 
preaching, with their hands and frequent 
halloos, by way of burlesque. In short, this 
kind of preaching was a new and strange thing 
in that place then. Brother Hawbecker was the 
first person who opened his house for United 
Brethren preaching in Greencastle. This was 
the commencement of Brethrenism there. Af- 
terwards, in conjunction with other brethren, we 
continued to propagate the Gospel in it. Since 
then, the work of the Lord continued to pro- 
gress. The Society now consists of about fifty 
members, who worship in a handsome church 
of their own, under the pastoral charge of J. M. 
Bishop and S. L. Minich, the present year. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



135 



At one time I attended a camp meeting held 
ion brother Samuel Snively's ground. Many 
| souls were blest and made happy during the 
! exercises. Under brother William Einehart's 
j preaching, a Universalist was upset. After the 
sermon was over, the Universalist came to 
Einehart, and with pleasant smiles, took him 
by the hand and said : " I was a believer in the 
doctrine of universal redemption ; but, Sir, you 
have out-done me to day. I never heard the 
doctrine of universalism upset in that way be- 
fore. You are the first man that done me up." 
He thanked the preacher for the sermon, inas- 
much as it was made a blessing to him. 

Some time after this, I preached a funeral 
discourse on the death of one of brother Samuel 
Snively's children. There was a large atten- 
dance of relatives and other persons at the fu- 
neral. Brother Snively afterward said to me, 
" I never was better pleased in my life, than I 
was at the manner in which you held up the 
truth to-day.'' 

Brother Habliston at one time had an ap- 
pointment for preaching at the widow Immel's 
house, near Greenvillage. I went there to hear 
him. Habliston did not come. The widow 
said to me ? " Inasmuch as the people have col- 



136 



AUTOBIO GKAPHY OF 



lected to hear preaching, it won't do to disap- 
point them. Yon mnst preach for us." I took 
up the cross and preached, after which brother 
J. "Whitmer and George Mowers closed with ex- 
hortation. I then made an appointment to 
preach in brother Sherman's house, near Smoke- 
town, in the Pines. "When I came to fill it, 
crowds were there — including many Roman 
Catholics. After the meeting had closed and 
the people gone off, the Catholics returned, and 
began to dispute about religion. One of them, 
an Irishman, and a full blooded papist, among 
other things, said to me : 

" Yee'r pretending to be an apostle, are ye ?" 
I said, 

" I do not call myself an apostle.'' He said, 

" But yee'r wants to be one, and can't make 
a crooked dog strait." I replied, 

" I don't preach to dogs, but I preach the 
damnation of hell to unconverted sinners — 
warning them to flee the wrath to come." 

At this, he jumped up in a great rage, went 
off vociferating and thundering the Pope's bulls 
at me for being a heretic. 

At my next appointment at this place, father 
John Oaks came with me. The Catholics did 
not come into the house then, but stood outside 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



137 



of it, throwing vollies of stones against the 
house and on the roof. After the meeting was 
dismissed, and the people had gone, stones still 
continued to rattle against the house. Father 
Oaks became alarmed and said, " They might 
kill us." I told him, " I have no fears about it," 
and after some more stoning and storming 
from the papists, they left. No person was 
hurt. 

After this, I preached at D. Coldsmith's, M. 
Hover's, Shively's, widow Eung's. Here six 
persons were converted at a meeting. At one 
time, I assisted to hold a so called Wmebren- 
ner camp meeting on M. Hover's land. Prior 
to this camp meeting, I preached to the Wine- 
brennerians in Shippensburg every four weeks 
— for one year. At one of these appointments 
Rev. Helfenstein, of the German Reformed 
Church, preached at 10 o'clock, A. M. Brother 
Mull requested me to preach in the evening ; 
but as there were more English than German 
hearers, Helfenstein preached. I exhorted in 
German. Helfenstein then invited mourners to 
the altar. Five came forward. Singing and 
prayer were continued. Some of the mourners 
got blest. We had a good meeting. After it 
closed, I rode home that night, a distance of ten 
miles. 10 



138 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 




In the early period of my ministry, in con- ; 
junction with brother Hoffman, I frequently 
held meetings in the Eed School House on the 
Warm Spring road, a short distance from broth- I 
er Daniel Hammand's, at whose house we used ! 
to put up. This w^as the only stopping place 
for preachers then. Now there are many others. 
Brother Hammand was one of those kind of 
men, who, when they lay hold of a project, nev- 
er let go until they get through with it. Influ- 
enced by such motives, after he got religion, he 
opened his house for the entertainment of 
preachers and people, and became, and still is, 
a useful member of the Church, and continues 
steadily to walk by the old landmarks of the ! 
Gospel. May the Lord bless and prosper him 
and his family, soul and body ! 

About thirty years ago, in company with 
brother John Crider, I went to McConnellsburg 
to preach. There had been an appointment 
made for us, in the school house, back of the j 
town. A large assembly of people attended. I 
We preached and exhorted as usual, and left an 
appointment for eight weeks after that at the 
same place. "When we came to fill this appoint- 
ment, the school house was locked, so that we 
could not get in. There were some people liv- 



i 



KEY, SAMUEL HUBER. 



139 



ing in these " diggins," who did not relish such 
preachers as we were, and would have prevent- 
ed ns from propagating the good news, that Jesus 
Christ came to seek and save the lost sheep of 
Jhe house of Israel. But, inasmuch as we had 
i commission from the God of Israel to go out 
into the highways and hedges to preach Christ, 
m& him crucified, to perishing sinners; we 
lad no idea of giving up the " ship " with- 
>ut giving the enemies of the Lord a few scat- 
tered shots, if it should be but at random. "We 
vere determined to preach at all hazards. 

So I told the people who had came to hear, 
hat we would go out on the commons and 
)reach under the locust trees. After we had 
noved towards the commons, a man came.run- 
ling after us, stating that he had gotten the 
cey of the school house. We then went into 
t, and preached to more people than it could 
lold. Many of them stood listening outside 
)f it. After this, we preached in turns in the 
;chool house and in brother Brubaker's house. 
During these meetings brother Brubaker's son 
John and his wife, John's son George and his 
*vife were converted. 

Some time after this, we held a big Bush 
meeting on John Brubaker's land, and preach- 



140 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 



ed in his barn. A number of preachers assist- 
ed- A good work broke out — convictions be- 
came deep— the cries for mercy reached the heav- 
ens. Many converts were added to the Church 
in that region. We attended to them for sever- 
al years. This place was then supplied by the 
circuit preachers. About that time a good so- 
ciety was formed, and a meeting house erected 
in McConnellsburg by the United Brethren. 

In my route I preached in Mercersburg in 
father King's house. Thence I went to the 
Little Cove, to attend a Big meeting. On my 
arrival at the place, I met brothers Everhart, 
"Weaver and Mason, Methodist preachers ; 
and brothers Weder, Pelty and Bowlus, Uni- 
ted Brethren preachers. The meeting was held 
in the woods. A great many people had assem- 
bled ; but they stood at a considerable distance 
from the preachers' stand, staring at us with 
evident symptoms of fear and alarm in their 
countenances, as if they took us to be some 
strange and dangerous beings, or some dreadful 
event was to take place. There were many for- 
eign Germans on the ground. 

Perceiving that the people looked so shy at 
us, I went up into the stand and spoke to them, 
in German, requesting them to draw near, ad- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



141 



ding that we would preach the gospel to them, 
in order to do them good, and not harm. At 
this the German part came near the stand. 
The English, seeing the Germans coming for- 
ward, and no one hurt, nor likely to be so, also 
took courage and came up within hearing dis- 
tance. I requested brother Weder to come up 
into the stand and commence the preaching. 
But, inasmuch as he had his own notions about 
such things, having an inkling towards Quaker- 
ism within him, that is, not t&speak until he 
felt moved to do so, and this inspiration was 
wanting, he refused to preach, and remained on 
his seat in the congregation. 

Brother Weaver then preached the first ser- 
mon in English, and I followed with exhorta- 
tion in German. "While speaking, I felt the 
power, and so did brother Weder. Finding 
himself stirred up, he jumped upon his feet — 
came walking up into the stand— drew off his 
over coat, and took hold of my arm roughly, 
saying, Stop; it is my time to speak now ! As I 
knew his ways, I yielded to him, and halted. 
ISTow, although he was one of those kind of men, 
who could not, or would not speak, without first 
being moved by the Spirit before he began, yet, 
after he had commenced to hold forth, there 



142 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



was no stopping him. His motto was, " Strike 
while the iron is hot" — Go ahead then — Push 
the steam. And as he always wept during his 
public exercises, he seldom missed fire. 

This being his character, I had scarcely taken 
my seat, when he began to speak, and opened in 
strains of power, which swept through the con- 
gregation like the launching of a ship's hull 
from her stays, plowing through the waters in 
its course. Powerful and deep was the effect 
of his words. Deep emotions were felt — sobs 
and sighs were heard — tears, like drops of rain, 
rolling down cheeks, were seen — groaning 
hearts were set free — shouting voices resounded 
throughout the woods. In short, a mighty work 
of grace broke out then and there. 

After remaining with them a few days, I left 
for home. Subsequent to this, I was informed 
by several Methodist brethren, " that this was the 
first religious meeting of the kind held in that 
neighborhood, and that the work began at it, 
continued to progress for a long time after- 
wards. By means of it, the owner of the land 
where the meeting was held, together with his 
family, was converted. Brother Jeremiah Ma- 
son took about forty persons into the Methodist 
Church." The United Brethren preachers did 



REV- SAMUEL HUBER. 



148 



not go there for some time after this. Wheth- 
er they are doing any thing there at this time 
or not, I am not able to state, for want of infor- 
mation. During the times in which the work 
alluded to, took place, the appearance of reli- 
gious congregations was vastly different, in 
many respects, from what it is now. At the 
present day, people are dressed up in what are 
called their " Sunday clothes/' when attending 
church, and if a person appears among them in 
his working suit, he is stared at* and may some 
times disorganize the preacher's ideas. But, in 
former days, it was no marvelous thing to see 
men attending religious meetings with their 
rifles and shot guns in their hands, and hunting 
caps upon their heads — wearing hunting shirts 
— fully equipped in hunters' style. In such cos- 
tumes they would stand, or sit, during preach- 
ing and other religious exercises, without any 
molestation to the congregation or preacher 
whatever. 

One Sunday forenoon, while preaching in a 
Virginia valley, a number of hunters were pres- 
ent. They stood during the services, leaning 
with their hands upon their rifles. After 
preaching, on our way to the next appointment, 
we overtook six of them. They had shot a 



144 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



large buck, and were carrying it with a pole 
upon their shoulders. At the sight of us, they 
made off towards the woods. We rode up to 
them — spoke a few words and passed on. This 
was the manner in which these people spent 
their Sabbath days : Hearing preaching in the 
forenoon, and hunting and shooting bucks in 
the afternoon. 

We had frequently to preach in log cabins at 
night, with no other light than that made with 
pine knots blazing in the fire-places, and with a 
table for a reading desk, and sometimes without 
even this. We had no opportunity to read man- 
uscript sermons to the people, even if we desi- 
red to do so. Such a thing.as memorizing and 
preaching other men's productions, was not 
thought of in those times, except by shallow 
brains and blockheads. We had to take the 
Bible for the rule of our faith and practice. Out 
of it, through God's assistance, we obtained our 
theology — preached — exhorted — and taught, as 
the Holy Spirit suggested. We graduated 
on horse-back, instead of in large buildings. — 
Preaching then was done in the simplicity of 
the Gospel— directed to the heart, telling the 
people what they were, as well as what they must 
be, if they wanted to be saved. Such methods 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



145 



of theological warfare, with the world — flesh— 
and the devil, as tended to send gospel shot over 
people's heads — instead of into their hearts, 
was not exactly the thing then. 

At the present day, preaching is done, in the 
main, more by making side glances at the sin- 
ner's head, than by thrusts at his heart, which, 
as a matter of course, pass off without effect, 
and leave him in his wretched condition. On 
the other hand, the old divines, through their 
theology, aimed at the heart, and, in most cases, 
through divine aid, sent arrows into it. The 
effect of this was, to produce " nausea," accom- 
panied with alarming symptoms respecting their 
present and future state. This caused those 
sickly penitents to inquire concerning the na- 
ture of their disease, and, upon examination, it 
was discovered, that their inward parts were 
like unto a " sepulchre, full of rottenness and 
dead men's bones." Under such circumstan- 
ces, they applied to the great spiritual Physi- 
cian for a remedy, who, " without money or 
price," healed them of their maladies, by giving 
them " clean hearts and renewing right spirits 
within them," and sent them away leaping — 
shouting — and praising God. 

This kind of preaching, done in cabins — 



14G AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

barns — woods— highways — and hedges— and 
other places — was the means, through God, of 
raising the standard of the cross in valleys — 
country — cities — town s — an d villages — where 
the devil had established his kingdom and 
reigned triumphantly. No sooner did these 
enemies of the devil, preachers, come up to the 
"help of the Lord, against the mighty," and 
open their batteries with singing — prayer — 
preaching — exhortation — and talking about Je- 
sus — than openings were made in the walls of 
Satan's kingdom. Many of his strong holds 
were taken by storm, by enforcing the unadul- 
terated truths of the Gospel, seconded and seal- 
ed to the heart, by the power of Him, " who 
hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,' ' 
"at whose power mountains quake— hills melt" 
— " sea and rivers are dried up " — " and who 
maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming 
fire." 

And thus it was, in those days of God's pow- 
er. Although the preaching of the Gospel is 
an employment which would dignify angels, 
nevertheless God has committed it to men. Ac- 
cordingly, men who have experienced the reno- 
vating power of divine grace in their own hearts, 
and felt within them a burning zeal for the 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



14T 



Lord of hosts, have, through the constraining 
love of Christ, gone forth and preached the 
word of reconciliation to others, as noted in this 
and other similar works, the world over, since 
the gospel was first preached nnto men. Many 
were the precious seasons we enjoyed in log 
cabins, and in other places where meetings were 
held. 



CHAPTER XII. 

BAPTISM — A YOUNG WOMAN SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD — 
TRIP TO GENERAL CONFERENCE. 

In early times, there resided in Horse Valley, 
Franklin county, Pa., Daniel, John, and Abra- 
ham Rosenberger, members of the Lutheran 
Church. They were some of the first settlers in 
that region of country. At one time D. Rosen- 
berger requested me to come into the Valley, 
and preach to the people. He stated, that 
the people being poor in that neighborhood, 
could not afford to pay for preaching, and that 
preachers generally would not come there to 
preach without pay ; in consequence of which, 
there was very little, if any, preaching among 
them, and they needed and desired German 



148 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



preaching very much. Accordingly, an appoint- 
ment was made for me, for the first time in 
Horse Valley. In company with brother Ever- 
hart, one of the first local Methodist pioneer 
preachers, I went there to make a beginning. 
We tarried with brother D. Rosenberger, at 
whose house the meeting was held, on a week 
day forenoon. There was a large gathering of 
people at the place. We preached to them in 
German and in English. During the services, 
the congregation gave great attention, and 
seemed as if they were gospel hungry, receiving 
eagerly all we spoke. 

After preaching, I told them, that I would 
preach for them free of charge, inasmuch as I 
had ample means to support myself ; that the 
poor should have the gospel preached unto 
them. I gave out an appointment for Sunday 
six weeks from that time, to which 1 attended, 
and afterward continued to serve the people 
w T ith preaching, in regular appointments, for a 
long time. After the meeting at the second 
appointment was closed, brother Rosenberger 
invited all the people to dinner, of which a great 
many of them partook. At dinner, I remark- 
ed, " You have a large society of people here :" 
to which a woman replied, " Yes, we have more 



•REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



149 



goats than sheep. For this reason we want 
preaching, by means of which the goats may be 
turned into sheep, and bro light into the fold." 

Sometime after this, I sent brother Braiser to 
fill one of my six weeks' appointments at broth- 
er D. Rosenberger's. While he was preaching, 
brother Crone got convicted for his sins, and 
left the meeting in great distress of soul. A 
few days after this, he was cutting his buck- 
wheat, being still in great agony, and engaged 
in mental prayer. Whilst in the act of making 
a swing with his cradle, he was blest, upon 
which he threw it away, and ran home to tell 
his wife, how good he felt, thinking, no doubt, 
that she would partake of the same spirit, and 
rejoice with him. But, as man and wife some- 
times differ in opinions, she received him in a 
peevish manner, which caused a damper to his 
feelings at the time. 

Some years after this, brother Crone held a 
three days' meeting in his house, at which 
brother John Crider, J. "Wingert, and myself 
attended. The meeting began on Saturday 
evening. On Sunday forenoon there was Ger- 
man and English preaching. In the afternoon 
brother David Bear baptized five persons by im- 
mersion. Father Gilbert was much displeased. 



150 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



because his sons Frederick and George were 
baptized by immersion at this time. They had 
been baptized in their infancy, and went through 
the catechetical course of the Lutheran Church. 
He, therefore, concluded that there was no need 
of more baptism, as they were christianized al- 
ready. But, as the two young men thought 
otherwise, they received baptism again by im- 
mersion ; and when they came out of the water, 
they went forth shouting, and praising the Lord, 
which caused no small stir and excitement 
among the people. 

There was also a young woman, a Miss Fish- 
er, there. She was the last of the persons im- 
mersed at the time. She got to shouting in the 
water. After she was taken out of it, she be- 
came powerless, and lay as if dead ; and being 
dressed in white apparel, she really appeared 
like a corpse. As she was lying in this condi- 
tion, many of the bystanders became much af- 
fected. Sobs, sighs, and tears were heard and 
seen all around. Some said she was dead. 
Others said she had been drowned in the water. 
Questions were asked, and answered promiscu- 
ously ; some correctly, others at random. The 
excitement was increasing. At the height of 
it, I cried out, " Gocl can kill and make alive. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



151 



Let us pray. Perhaps she will come to." We 
commenced and continued to sing and pray for 
some time. At length the young girl rose up, 
shouting and praising. At the same time, a 
number of other persons partook of the same 
spirit, and then they had a great time of it in 
that way. 

Seeing all this, Father Gilbert said, "I am 
done now. I have no more to say. I am con- 
vinced that this is not the power of man, but 
the power of God." Some time after this, he 
got religion himself at a camp meeting, near 
the Burnt Cabins. From this time forward, the 
work of God continued to progress in Horse 
Valley. The brethren have now a house of 
worship of their own there. And in all this, 
we have another instance of the work of the 
Lord being carried forward through the instru- 
mentality Of LOCAL PREACHERS. 

Brother Crone died four or five years ago. 
Brother D. Funkhouser and myself attended his 
funeral. Brother Funkhouser preached his fu- 
neral sermon in English. I exhorted in Ger- 
man. Brother Rosenberger said afterwards, 
that "Funkhouser had preached the greatest 
sermon on the occasion, that had ever been 
preached in Horse Valley." 



152 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



In the year 1821, I was elected delegate to 
General Conference, to be held May 15, 1821, 
at brother Dewalt Mechlin's, Fairfield county, 
Ohio. On the 30th of April, proceeding in 
company with brothers Joseph Hoffman, George 
A. Guething and Mr. Clapper, we set out for 
the Conference. The first day we arrived in 
McConnellsburg, Bedford county, Pa. I put 
up at an Inn. "We held meeting in a school 
house that evening. Brother Hoffman preach- 
ed in English. After meeting, on my way to 
the Inn, I overtook two men, the one a Lutheran 
and the other a German Reformed preacher. I 
overheard the German Eeformed inquire of the 
Lutheran preacher, " "What kind of preachers 
these men were ?" alluding to us. As they 
knew nothing about us, the Lutheran said, " He 
did not know." I told them, that we were Uni- 
ted Brethren, in older times called Otterbein's 
followers. They jointly replied, " If they had 
known that before, they would have spoken ir 
the meeting," as they were both there at the 
time. The German Reformed minister said, 
" that he had an acquaintance with Otterbein's 
brother in Germany, and also with William 
Otterbein in America." I lodged with him at the 
same Inn that night, and after we had some con- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEU. 153 

versation, he invited me to stop in Pittsburg, and 
preach in his Church there, on my return from 
Conference. Next morning we parted as broth- 
ers. 

On our route, the next evening, the 1st of 
May, we tarried at brother George Smith's, near 
Bedford. On the 2nd of May we went from 
thence to brother Plough's in the Glades. On 
the 3rd of May we came to Somerset. When 
near the Court House, there was a man, who 
we afterwards learned was an Elder in the Lu- 
theran Church, standing on the pavement. He 
requested us to stop, and inquired of brother 
Hoffman, 

"Whether we were preachers." Hoffman 
answered, 

" Fes, Sir!" We are of that order." The 
man continued, 

"To what Church do you belong?" Hoff- 
man replied, 

" We belong to the United Brethren, and are 
on our way to the General Conference, in Ohio." 
The man replied, 

" I heard that there were some preachers ex- 
pected to pass through this place. For this 
reason I was waiting here to speak with them." 
Hoffman inquired, 

11 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



"Well, Sir ! what is your business with us?" 
The man replied, 

" Why, Sir ! the people in this town need 
preaching very much. So, if you will tarry a 
few hours and preach for us in the Court House, 
I will give notice by ringing the bell ; and give 
you your dinners and feed your horses also." 
Hoffman answered, 

" Our duty is to preach the Gospel wherever 
we can get hearers. We will take you up at 
your offer." 

And so at 10 o'clock, A. M., brother Gueth- 
ing preached in German — and brother Hoffman 
delivered an exhortation in English. One wo- 
man got under conviction and cried aloud for 
mercy. After meeting, she requested us to 
preach at her house. We had not time to do so. 

After we had taken our dinner, and our hor- 
ses were fed, we continued our journey and 
came to Ligonier Valley that evening. At 
this place brother Clapper preached to the peo- 
ple. The next day, May the 4th, we came to 
Mount Pleasant, and reached there at 10 o'clock, 
A. M. Here I met with brother Spayth, who 
formerly preached for us, when he was a young 
man. We had a lively meeting in Mount Pleas- 
ant that day. Leaving this place, we arrived 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



155 



at brother Zumbrod's, sixteen miles further on- 
ward, where I preached that evening. 

On the 5th, we came to Washington. At 
this place we did not stop to preach. Brothers 
Pfrimmer and Winter filled onr appointments 
here in the evening. We went a half mile fur- 
ther on and stayed over night. The next day 
we continued our journey and arrived in Wheel- 
ing. We then crossed the river, and stayed 
over night at a tavern. A great many travelers 
put up at this place that evening. During the 
night, after we had retired to bed, a colored man 
entered our room and made an attempt to rifle 
our pockets and saddle-bags. We heard him 
making a noise, when we called out to the land- 
lord, who came into the room. The thief made 
his exit. It was discovered to be the ostler. 

The next day we arrived within eleven miles 
of Zanesville, and stayed over night. The fol- 
lowing day we came to Zanesville, and took 
breakfast. At this place I met John Loferree? 
who had learned his trade with the same em- 
ployer that I did. We spent part of the day in 
visiting the Salt works at this place. This was 
a new thing in those parts at that time. We 
were very much gratified at seeing the various 
works and machinery connected with the estab- 



156 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



lishment. Here are salt wells from two to 
seven hundred feet in depth, out of which flow- 
ed a constant stream of salt water, which was 
put into boilers and made into salt. One facto- 
ry had forty-two large boiling kettles for that 
purpose. 

After this we left Zanesville and arrived at 
brother Dewalt Mechlin's, the place where the 
Conference was held. During its sessions, there 
was much sparring among the members. Some 
of them could not see eye to eye upon the dif- 
ferent subjects which came under consideration. 
This gave rise to considerable debate. But, 
after much steam had been spent through the 
vocal powers, by thrusts and rejoinders, the 
Conference closed its sessions in peace and har- 
mony. 

After the Conference closed, a three days' 
meeting was held at brother Mechlin's. From 
this place I went to a camp meeting, ten miles 
distant from New Lancaster, and spent one 
week at it. We got our souls refreshed with 
renewed showers of grace. From there I set 
out for home, in company with some of my 
brethren. On our way, we preached at brother 
Loferree's. We then went to New Philadel- 
phia, and thence to my brother-in-law, George 



KEY. SAMUEL HUBER. 



157 



Crider, where we had meeting in his barn. We 
left here on Monday morning, in the direction 
of Centreville, crossed the Ohio at Steuben- 
ville, and tarried with Governor Ritner, seven 
miles from Washington, several days. He 
treated us with the greatest kindness and hos- 
pitality. From thence I arrived safe home, after 
a journey of five weeks, somewhat out of pock- 
et in money, having received for my traveling 
expenses and services, three dollars. But then, 
we preached the Gospel free of charge, and 
when we could not find entertainment with 
brethren and friends, we put up at public Inns, 
which was not unfrequently the case. 



CHAPTER XHL 

AFFECTING SCENE. 

At a meeting held in my house, on a certain 
occasion, brother Price preached. He related 
a circumstance, which deeply affected his hear- 
ers at the time. He said, that he was acquaint- 
ed with a family in Ohio, consisting of the pa- 
rents and three daughters, all of them living 
" without God, and without hope in the world." 
On one occasion, the oldest daughter, Jane, was 



158 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



converted at a religions meeting. The news 
soon reached her father's ears, "that his daugh- 
ter Jane had got religion," and as he had no 
regard for religion himself, but was an enemy 
to it, he became very much irritated at the re- 
port, and resolved either to put a stop to such 
things in his family, or else to banish the sub- 
jects of them from it. So when she came home, 
he coolly said to her, 

" Jane, I hear a bad report about you." She 
replied, 

" What is it, father, that you have heard about 
me ?" He responded, 

" I am told that you have gotten religion. Is 
it so ?" She answered, 

" All true, father. But how can it be bad 
news that your child should be converted, and 
try to save her soul ?" He rejoined, 

" As to that, I consider it bad enough, that 
any part of my family should disgrace them- 
selves, by adopting and acting upon such fool- 
ish notions as religion. I look upon it all as 
sheer hypocrisy. It does not become people of 
our rank in society to adopt such measures." 
She replied, 

" "Well, father ! According to the way in 
which you instructed our family, I was of the 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



159 



same opinion with yourself. But when the 
Lord convicted me of the error of my ways, I 
saw that I was wrong in my opinions. There- 
fore, I sought and found him, to the joy of my 
heart ! Glory be to his name !" He respond- 
ed, 

" I see, Jane, that you have been deluded by 
those religionists, whose aim is to subvert the 
woi^ld. Every convert they make, shouts glory. 
Now, to be short about the matter : I want to 
hear none of your preaching. You must either 
give up your religious notions, or leave my 
house aud look out for yourself/ ' She replied, 

" Dear father ! I will obey you in all things 
lawful, as becomes a dutiful child. But, after 
what the Lord has done for me, I cannot think 
of forsaking him. I am determined, through 
his grace, to try to save my soul at all hazards." 
To this he said, 

" Jane, I will give you three weeks' time to 
consider this matter ; and if, at the expiration of 
that time, you are still determined to persevere 
in your delusive ways, you must leave my 
house and seek quarters elsewhere." 

During the time allotted her for considering 
the subject, she continued to ask for grace and 
strength from her heavenly father. Her soul 



160 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OE 



was strengthened in the Lord. The promise, 
" and every one that hath forsaken houses, or 
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or 
wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, 
shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit 
everlasting life," (Matth. 19 : 29) was strongly 
impressed upon her heart. At the expiration 
of the three weeks, her father waited upon her, 
and requested an answer as to what she intend- 
ed to do. She replied, that she would obey 
him in all lawful commands; but as her heav- 
enly father had adopted her into his family, and 
promised in his word to take care of his chil- 
dren, she had, therefore, concluded to remain 
faithful to the grace given unto her. He then 
told her to leave his house. At this injunction, 
she gathered up her clothes and made ready for 
departure. But before doing so, she bid fare- 
well to her mother and sisters, taking an affec- 
tionate leave of them, not knowing whether 
they would meet again or not. 

This was truly a deeply exciting scene. — 
Mother and daughters were weeping, as if at 
the death-bed side of a beloved departing rela- 
tive. Just think of it, reader, an affectionate 
family about to be separated, for no other reason, 
than because one of its members had gotten re- 
ligion, and wanted to serve the Lord. 



EEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



161 



And so, after Jane left, the mother and two 
daughters still weeping, the second sister said, 
" Since Jane is gone, I will follow her," and 
began to gather up her clothes for that purpose. 
The third sister then replied, " Yes ! and if my 
two sisters go, I will go also," at the same time 
making ready to start. 

At this, the mother went to her husband, ex- 
claiming, with rolling tears, " You are robbing 
me of my children. I cannot live without them. 
If they go, I will go with them.* At this, the 
father's heart gave in. He could stand the sight 
no longer. Hastily did he send after Jane to 
return. When she came back, he requested 
her to pray for him. They all fell upon their 
knees, when Jane poured out her soul in pray- 
er in their behalf. In the course of a short time 
after this, the whole family were made parta- 
kers of saving grace, and went on their way, 
serving Him, who, through the workings of his 
Spirit, frequently makes a child the means of 
converting the parents, together with the rest 
of the household. 

About twelve years ago, brother Daniel 

* When brother Price was relating this case, at the instant 
he repeated the exclamation of the mother, " If they go, I 
will go with them," a woman in the congregation spoke out, 
" And so would I." 



162 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



Wins] er, then residing in Cumberland county, 
five miles from Newburg, Pa., requested me to 
bold a big meeting at bis house, alleging that 
there had not been a big meeting held there 
yet, and that preaching was much needed in that 
section of country. Accordingly, a meeting 
was appointed, which commenced at 10 o'clock, 
A. M., on Saturday, at which time I preached 
to a large audience in the barn. After preach- 
ing, I baptized two men by immersion, three 
times, face forward ; also two women, by pour- 
ing, who were kneeling in the water at the 
time. Late in the afternoon we partook of 
dinner and supper together. It may surprise 
some of our modern folks, when I state, that 
between three and four hundred persons ate at 
brother Whisler's table, during that meeting, 
and that he besides fed a great number of horses- 
He had made great calculations, and prepared 
accordingly. 

After having taken refreshment, we held an 
experience meeting, at which many persons 
gave an account of their religious experience. 
In the evening, the sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
per was administered to a large number of par- 
ticipants, after which, feet washing was attend- 
ed to. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



168 



On the next day, Sunday, I preached at 10 
o'clock. A. M. A number of preachers also 
assisted at the meeting. In the evening five 
mourners came out seeking the Lord. At this 
meeting, which continued for several clays, a 
good religious work commenced, by means of 
which, in the course of some time, from forty to 
fifty persons became converted, many of whom 
united together in church fellowship, as an or- 
der of their own, separate from other Churches. 
And as they had no regular preacher to serve 
them, they selected brother Whisler as their 
pastor, who attended to them in that capacity, 
from ten to twelve years. During this time, in 
company with brothers Bickly, J. Senseny, D. 
Funkhouser, J. and D. Basehore, and other lo- 
cal preachers, we assisted brother Whisler to 
hold meetings at his house, and in the neigh- 
borhood. I attended personally several times a 
year. Within the past year, brother Whisler 
and his society, attached themselves to the 
Church of the United Brethren in Christ. 
Brother Whisler is now a local preacher among 
us. All this work was begun and carried for- 
ward through the local ministry. 

I had regular appointments at brothers Peter 
Cook and Jacob Whitmore's, and in the Union 



164 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



school house in the Dutch Settlement, at which 
places I officiated alternately. At one time, 
while we were holding meeting in brother Whit- 
more's barn, a thunder gust came up, with viv- 
id flashes of lightning and heavy thunder, just 
at the time I was preaching. A woman in the 
congregation jumped upon her feet, crying out, 
" Lord Jesus,' ' and fell down. She afterwards 
got religion in her house. 

At a meeting in the Union school house, sev- 
eral souls were made happy during preaching. 
One old Presbyterian rose up waiving his hands 
up and down and praising the Lord. 

I used to leave home on Sunday morning, 
ride on horseback to the Union school house, 
be there at 10 o'clock. Thence I went to Pe- 
ter Cook's at 3 o'clock, and thence to Chazn- 
bersburg in the evening at candle light, and 
preached at each place. I returned home the 
same night, making a circuit of about thirty 
miles in one day. The next morning I went to 
work at my trade. 

In Eockingham county, Virginia, at one time ? 
while I was preaching in a Lutheran church, a 
man rose up in the congregation, and cried out, 
"I am Tom Paine, every drop of blood within 
me." This he did repeatedly, to the great an- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



165 



noyance of the congregation. And, inasmuch 
as he was " Tom Paine," throughout, as he 
said he was, his conduct heretofore correspond- 
ed with his principles. He insulted all profes- 
sors of religion who came in his way. But, 
at this time, he met his match. For there was 
in the meeting, a brother Stephler, a man of 
great muscular strength. He coolly rose up, 
and took hold of, " Tom Paine " by the back 
and neck collar of his coat and the seat of his 
pants, and pushed him out of the church, and 
in this way, run him across the street, into 
another' house, where he held him in durance, 
until the meeting was closed. 

Inasmuch, as the relating of religious experi- 
ence, is frequently made a blessing to other 
persons, I will, for the benefit of some of my 
readers, whom it may suit, relate the following, 
as given to me by a brother. He said : "About 
fifteen or twenty years after I had experienced 
religion, one night, at the time I was reading 
Doctor Clark's notes upon the Scriptures, an 
instantaneous dark and gloomy spell came over 
my mind and heart. It was suggested, that 
I never had been converted — that my views 
and feelings on religious subjects were alto- 
gether delusive, consisting in vague notions, &c. 



166 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



I felt horror stricken, not knowing what all this 
meant, or whence it came. I became greatly 
alarmed. 

In this state of mind and distress, I went to 
my mother-in-law. She was an old soldier of 
the cross — had experienced religion, and kept 
it from her youth, and had endured many 
trials, and temptations, in her journey thus far. 
But long since that time, she has gone to join 
some of her former classmates, in the kingdom 
above, where the devil never enters. When I 
came to her, she looked at me with great sur- 
prise, and exclaimed, 

" "Why ! John, what is the matter with you ? 
I see by your countenance, there is something 
wrong." I replied, 

" Yes, mother, I feel as if the devil were try- 
ing to get me to give up my religious pursuits." 
She asked, 

" Well, what do you want me to do ?" I an- 
swered, 

" I want you to come into the room, and pray 
with me for grace to overcome the tempter." 

And so the old lady and myself went into a 
room to pray. As she entered it, she said, 

"I feel as if the powers of darkness were 
here." I replied, 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



167 



" And so do I, mother." 

We continued in prayer for several hours 
together. At length I told her to retire ; that 
I would hold on by faith and prayer. I contin- 
ued to pray by myself during the night, but 
found no relief then. It was a dark and gloomy 
night to me. Next morning.I went to brother 
Prettyman. He was preacher in charge of the 
Chambersburg station at the time. I commu- 
nicated to him the state of my mind and feel- 
ings. He said "he had undergone a similar 
trial at one time in his life, and it was three 
months before he got through it, But when 
he did get the victory, it was the greatest spir- 
itual blessing he had ever experienced up to 
that time." He encouraged me to pray on. 

After this I went to brother Thomas Yates, 
then a local preacher in the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, but many years since gone over 
J ordan. I gave him a statement of my expe- 
rience, and, as he was one of that sort of people 
who did not keep secret, what they told other 
persons, he replied, " That's right for you, John. 
You and the devil are about having a fight. 
But you must hold on by faith and prayer;" 
adding, " this trial will do you good." 

That was a dark day to my soul. I could 



168 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



neither eat nor work. I went about during the 
day laboring under great heaviness, by reason 
of manifold temptations, all the while engaged 
in prayer, mentally and otherwise. Towards 
evening, a short time before going to a prayer 
meeting, I opened the Bible. The first passage 
I cast my eyes upon was the first Epistle of 
John 2: 1, 2, "And if any man sin, we have an 
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the 
righteous ; And he is the propitiation for our 
sins ; and not for ours only, but also, for the 
sins of the whole world." I was standing at 
the time, and it appeared to me, as if the devil 
was standing along side of me. So, after I had 
read the passages, I pointed with my finger to 
them, exclaiming, vocally, I think, as if speak- 
ing to a person standing beside me, " Devil ! do 
you see that ? Look at it ! Here is my advo- 
cate, even Jesus Christ! To you, lam under 
no obligations to confess ; but to God, I confess 
my short-comings." I added, " You may do 
your worst now. This Scripture gives new 
hope to my soul." 

I closed the book, went to the prayer meet- 
ing, pleading the Saviour's merits, and while a 
brother was praying, in an instant, a stroke of 
divine love and power entered my heart. All 
my doubts and fears were gone, and> in their 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



169 



place love, joy and peace filled ray heart. I 
could sing again, what I had often sung before: 

" I know that my Redeemer lives, 

And ever prays for me : 
A token of his love lie gives, 

A pledge of liberty." 

On my way home from the meeting, the heav- 
ens — stars — and all creation appeared new. — 
When I came to the house, my mother-in-law 
met me, and, with joy in .her countenance, 
exclaimed, 

" Why ! John, I see by your countenance, 
you have got the blessing." I replied, 

a Yes! mother, thank God! I feel it; and 
that's better than sight." 

We then had a good time together, talking 
about Jesus. That was a joyful night to my 
soul. I spent the greater part of it walking 
about praising the Lord. Since that time, I 
have had many ups and downs in the world, 
but am still on my way to the promised land. 

FATHER GEISSEMAN'S EXPERIENCE AND DEATH. 

Father Geisseman said to me, " In the Rev- 
olutionary war I served my country in the ar- 
my under General Washington. During the 
time of a battle with the enemy, when bullets 
were flying and whistling past me, I was con- 
12 



170 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



victed of my sins, and felt, that if I should be 
shot dead, my sonl would be lost. I lifted up 
my heart to God in prayer, and promised, that 
if he would preserve my life, I would serve him 
the remainder of my days. 

Many years after this, I went to hear father 
Otterbein preach at Guething's old church, 
twelve miles from Hagerstown, Md. Immense 
crowds of hearers were present at the time, 
many of them standing outside of the church. 
"When Otterbein was preaching, standing in the 
church door, he became exhausted, through over 
exertion, in order to be heard. His voice and 
strength failing, and knowing that the people 
could not all hear him, he paused, and with 
arms and hands extended towards heaven, ex- 
claimed : ' 0 Lord God, if I am thy servant, 
assist and strengthen me once more, to declare 
thy truth.' After this, he felt himself quicken- 
ed and revived, through the power of God, and 
stood, appearing like a 'flame of fire,' during the 
closing part of his discourse.'' " That sermon," 
added Geisseman, "went home to my heart I 
never rested until my soul was converted to 
God." 

After father Geisseman got religion, he open- 
ed his house for meetings, Many refreshing 



KEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



171 



seasons of grace were enjoyed in them. He 
was an example for Christians, and a pillar in 
the Church. A few days before his death, I 
visited him. He was happy in view of his lat- 
ter end, and afterwards left this world, in hope 
of a glorious resurrection. Brother J. Crider 
and myself officiated at his funeral. 

At a camp meeting on my brother Abraham's 
land, near my residence, about forty rowdies had 
collected together on a Friday night, threatening 
to storm the camp the next night, if it would not 
be broken up. Accordingly, on Saturday night 
about 10 o'clock, they met near the spring, a 
short distance from the camp. They were arm- 
ed with clubs and other offensive weapons, 
well prepared for battle. They uttered repeat- 
ed huzzas, struck their clubs against the fence, 
&c. 

"While this was was going on, I was sitting in 
the preachers' stand. On hearing the noise, I 
thought it was at my house. I left the stand 
and repaired to it, but found all quiet there. 
I then went to the spring, where the rowdies, 
under the command of their ring-leader, were 
mustering their forces in military order. This 
being done, they moved towards the camp. I 
quietly, unknown to them, followed in their 
rear. 



172 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



When they came to the camp ground, they 
posted themselves, rank and file, in front of it, 
making ready for the onset. Just about the 
time they were making the start for a row, I 
went peaceably up to the ring-leader, took hold 
of him by the collar of his coat, and said to 
him, " What in the world are you going to do ? 
If you make any further disturbance, you sub- 
ject yourselves to heavy prosecutions. Your 
names are known. If you do not desist from 
this disturbance, you will be prosecuted. " 

At this, he remained speechless and quiet. 
I then requested him to come into the congre- 
gation and take a seat, and hear the preaching, 
which was then going on. He at once assented. 
I lead him to a seat, some of his fellows crying 
out at the same time, " Dont you go. They 
want to put you under guard." I told him it 
w r as not so ; he should sit down, which he did. 
The rest of the gang, seeing their captain 
grounding arms, became quiet, except two of 
them, who threw stones into the camp. But, 
being pursued by some of the camp guard, 
they fled, and, in the dark, run into a pond of 
water, in the lower end of a meadow and made 1 
their escape through it. After this, there was 
no more disturbance on the ground. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



173 



CHAPTER XIV. 

VISITING THE SICK A BENJAMINITE. 

Some years ago, there resided, not one hun- 
dred miles from the Rocky Spring, Mr. J , 

with his family. The old folks were over fifty 
years of age at the time of this occurrence. 
Their son, with his wife, lived in the same 
house with them at the time. The son's wife 
was sick. She was consumptive, and had no 
hope of recovery. Not being prepared for death, 
she sent for a certain minister of the gospel, 
professedly such, and inquired of him, saying, 

" Can a person know his sins forgiven, and 
have peace with God in this world, before he 
dies?" adding, that "she had heard Samuel 
Huber preach the doctrine, that we must be 
born again, and know our sins forgiven in this 
life, or we will be lost." The minister replied, 

" We can not know our sins forgiven in this 
life." 

This did not satisfy her. She sent for a min- 
ister of another religious denomination, and 
asked him the same question. He gave her 
the same answer the former one had given. 



174 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 



But she was still uneasy with regard to her fu- 
ture state. She sent a messenger to me re- 
questing me to come to see her, as she wished to 
speak to me about the state of her soul. At the 
same time, it was added, that I should not let 

her father-in-law, Mr. J , know that she 

had sent for me. It was desired that my visit 
should appear merely as that of a neighbor, in- 
asmuch as the old gentleman was a wicked man 
and opposed to religion. 

In company with brother John Crider, I went 
to Mr. J 's house. The sick woman's hus- 
band and his uncle were sitting in the room, 
where she was lying in bed, at the time we came 
there. The father-in-law had gone for the Doc- 
tor to Strasburg. She then related to us the 
foregoing conversations, which she had had with 
the ministers, and requested us to sing and 
pray with and for her. "W e commenced to sing, 
at which her husband and his uncle left the 
room, and went out of the house. We kneeled 
down to pray. While brother Crider was pray- 
ing, the old man having returned, rushed into 
the room, crying out, " That's enough — that's 
enough of such things. I want no such work 
in my house. We had two priests here. We 
don't want you here. It is time enough when 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 175 

you are sent for. Let every pig eat out of his 
own trough." At the same time, he took hold 
of a chair and lifting it up, continued, " Begone 
out of my house, or I will knock you down 
with this chair." 

I jumped up from my knees — took hold of 
the chair he held in his hands — wrested it from 
him — told him to sit down and be quiet — I 
wanted to talk to him— adding, that he was not 
going to scare me off in this way. When I 
wrested the chair from his hands, he became 
powerless — said no more — and walked away. 
I remained for some time, talking with the sick 
woman, her mother-in-law and her daughter. 

After awhile, the old man returned, and said, 

u Are you here yet ?" I said, 

" Yes, I am, I came to pay a neighbor's vis- 
it. I have done no harm here. I will go away 
when I please." 

I then bade farewell and left. A few days af- 
ter this the sick woman died. I went early in 
the morning to attend her funeral. When Mr. 

J saw me approach, he opened the gate, 

looked much cut down, and lamented, saying 
my daughter-in-law is dead, and my son is 
lying sick up stairs; and so this affair ended. 

Some time after this, Mr. 's grand-son 



176 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



took sick. He sent for me to come to see him. 
When I came there, I asked the sick man, 

" What do you want with me ?" He an- 
swered, 

" I want you to baptize me, and give me the 
sacrament." I inquired, 

" Have you been converted and experienced 
a change of heart ?" He said, 

"No." I told him, 

"That baptism and the sacrament would not 
save him. He must call upon God for mercy 
and get religion before I would baptize him ; as 
it would be of no use to do so, before he was 
converted." 

He then cried out, that we should sing and 
pray for him. While singing, the old grand- 
father, J , with another old sinner, left the 

room. We kneeled in prayer. The sick man 
began to pray in good earnest. After I rose 
from my knees, he looked me full in the face, 
still praying. I urged him to pray on, and look 
to God through J esus Christ, for mercy. He 
continued to do so for over one hour, when he 
was happily converted to God. Clapping his 
hands, he exclaimed, " Glory to Got ! Glory to 
Got!" 

At this juncture, an English woman came 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



177 



into the room. He continued, " Glory to Got. 
Got converted my soul. I can talk English 
now." After this, I administered to him bap- 
tism and the Lord's Supper, and left for that 
evening. The next morning I went to see him 
again. His bodily pains had left him. He was 
lying in bed, waving his hands expressive of 
happiness, and with smiles in his countenance, 
continued to do so until evening, when he died. 
By request, I preached his funeral sermon to a 
large concourse of attendants. 

Now, inasmuch as Mr. J was a strict 

church-member — belonged to a religious de- 
nomination, we have here one case out of a thou- 
sand, in which church-members, who make a 
religious profession and partake of the sacra- 
ment, at the same time have no religion ; and 
not only do they neglect to obtain religion 
themselves, but also try to prevent others from 
doing so. How hard and bigoted must have 
been the heart of this man, to refuse to allow 
prayer to be made in behalf of his daughter-in- 
law, when she was so near her latter end ! But 
as he is gone to give an account of his doings 
before the Judge of all the earth, I forbear fur- 
ther comment, hoping only that others of like 
stamp, may not do as he did. 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



On a certain occasion I attended a large camp 
meeting held on brother Middlecanff's land, a 
few miles from Hagerstown, Md. Much good 
was done during its continuance, &mong the 
preachers who attended it, were sons of conso- 
lation, with some sons of thunder. There was 
some smiting with the hand and stamping with 
the foot, in accordance with prophetic style. 
The truth was proclaimed in unmistakable 
terms, by showing to sinners, in and out of 
Zion, their sins, and the horde of dead religious 
professors their transgressions. 

An occurrence took place during the meet- 
ing, which tended to aw T aken the risibilities of 
the most sedate person upon the ground. Du- 
ring one of the public services, a diminutive an- 
imal in the shape of a "dandy" frequently 
called a half cut, was protuberating about the 
ground. Sometimes he was found on the men's 
side of the aisle, and at other times on the 
women's side of it, with whip in hand. It 
appeared as if he wanted to make up in appear- 
ance, what he lacked in stature. This he did 
by his contemptuous airs, assuming to be some- 
thing great. 

In this way, he continued stalking about the 
camp, to the great annoyance of the congrega- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



179 



tion. Several of the brethren expostulated with 
him upon the impropriety of his course, and re- 
quested him to cease. But these mild means 
only tended to make him the more obstreper- 
ous ; and with loud vociferations, he was bent 
upon annoying the meeting. As the breth- 
ren did not wish to raise a tumult during the 
preaching, they left him alone. 

Now, it does not unfrequently happen, in the 
course of human events, that the old fable of the 
boy in the apple tree, who would not be per- 
suaded by mild words to come down out of it, 
but had to submit to the force of stones, is ful- 
ly illustrated in life, in different ways ; and so 
it was in this case. There was a man in the 
camp named Andrew Newcomer, son of father 
Newcomer. This Andrew was in stature some- 
what akin to " Goliath of Gath." The dandy 
was a mere pigmy compared with him. An- 
drew, seeing that mild w r ords had no effect upon 
this " son of Belial," and also believing, in ac- 
cordance with the declaration of old, that " the 
wicked shall be cast out of the congregation," 
cooly, and in good humor, went to him, and 
taking hold of him by the collar of his coat 
with his left hand and fastening his right hand 
on the seat of his pants, lifted him up before all 



180 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the people and the preachers, as a woman would 
lift up and carry her child upon her hands. In 
this posture, to the amusement of some and as- 
tonishment of others, he carried him out of the 
camp, and pitched him upon a brush heap. 
And so, after this " Benjarninite" had recovered 
from his fright, he got up and scampered off as 
fast as his legs could carry him. To the great 
joy of all the people, he was no more seen upon 
the ground. The devil had met with his match, 
and the exercises of the meeting went on with- 
out further molestation. 

Many years ago, brother Samuel Bowman 
resided in the State of Maryland. He was the 
owner of a good limestone farm, and doing well 
in the world. But, inasmuch as he enjoyed no 
rest or contentment in his then situation, he 
sold out and removed to Aughwick valley, 
near the Burnt Cabins, Pa., and settled upon 
sterile land. After he had remained there for 
some time, he desired to have religious meet- 
ings in his house. He requested brothers John 
and David Bear, father Dehuff, John Crider, 
and myself, to preach there, which we did alter- 
nately, at regular appointments, for several 
years. After that, his house was taken into a 
circuit, and became a regular preaching place 
for the United Brethren. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



181 



At one time a camp meeting was appointed 
to be held on his ground. At the appointed 
time in the morning, as I was preparing to leave 
home for the camp, I was waited upon by Mr. 
Taylor, with an urgent request to come to Mr. 
Christian Lutz's house, near Greenvillage, to 
visit his daughter Nancy, who was then sick. 
I told him, that 

" I was just about starting for the Burnt Cab- 
ins' camp." He replied, 

u You must come, as Nancy Lutz will not be 
satisfied unless you do so." 

I went. When I arrived in the house, Miss 
Lutz was confined to bed with a fever. It was 
said she had the "yellow fever." I asked her ? 

" What do you want with me !" She an- 
swered, 

" I want you to sing, and pray for me. I 
cannot consent to die in my present condition." 

Accordingly, I complied with her request. 
After this, when about to leave, she begged me 
earnestly to tarry until 8 o'clock in the even- 
ing. But, inasmuch as I had promised to at- 
tend the camp meeting, I bade her farewell and 
left. When I got home, the day was far spent. 
I concluded to remain over night and start for 
the camp in the morning. That night I could 



182 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



not sleep. Nancy Lutz was continually present 
to my mind. Next morning I rose up early. 
My wife asked me, 

"Are you going to the camp ?" I said, 

"'Not at present. I have no rest. I must 
go back to see Nancy Lutz, before I go." 

At the moment I had mounted my horse to 
go there, Mr. Taylor came to me and said, 

" You must come back to see Nancy again* 
She cannot rest unless you do so." 

I went with him. "When we came there, Mr. C. 
Lutz's wife was lying a corpse, having died the 
preceding night. Old Mr. Lutz and his daugh- 
ter Nancy, living in a separate part of the house, 
were confined to bed. 

It was during the time, when a destructive 
epidemic raged throughout the country, I en- 
tered the room where they were. Nancy was in 
a slumber. I looked at her for a short time, and 
then walked out of the room, intending to de- 
part. Mr. Taylor followed me out, and said to 
me, 

" You are not going off, are you ?" I replied, 
" There is no use for me to stay. She is dy- 
ing and knows nothing more about this world." 
He said, 

" You must not go yet. She will recover 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



183 



some, soon. She was talking about you nearly 
all the past night.' ' 

So I remained. In the meantime, Nancy 
awakened out of her slumber, and said to me, 

" I want you to sing and pray." Her Father 
said, 

" I don*t think it necessary to pray. She is 
too far gone. But you may sing a few verses." 
Nancy said, 

"You must sing and pray with me once 
more. I cannot consent to die in my present 
condition." 

During this time, butchering was going on 
in the kitchen part of the house. Preparations 
were making for Mrs. Christian Lutz's funeral. 
Mr. Lutz said, 

"How can you pray, while there is so much 
noise in the house?" 

I then went into the kitchen, and said to the 
persons there, 

"Nancy wants me to sing and pray once 
more, before she dies." 

I requested them to come into the room and 
unite with us in worship. To this they assent- 
ed — came into the room and united in singing. 
After singing, I said, " I will pray once more. 
Let us kneel." They knelt with me. While 



184 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



engaged in prayer, I felt access to God. Before 
I had concluded, Nancy received the blessings 
of redeeming love. When I rose up from my 
knees, she was clapping her hands, weak as she 
was in body, praising her blessed Kedeemer, 
and then said, 

"You can go to the camp meeting now\ 
The Lord has pardoned my sins. I am happy, 
andean die in peace." 

I left, rejoicing on my way home. That night 
Nancy's spirit left her body, and went to the 
glorv land. The next morning I started for the 
camp. When I arrived there, I was asked, 

" What kept you away so long V* 

I related the cause and circumstances. One 
of the brethren said, 

" Glory to God, for that ; one more soul 
saved to which others responded, Amen ! 

I remained on the camp ground, in the capaci- 
ty of Presiding Elder, until the meeting closed. 
During its continuance, among other converts, 
brother Bowman's son George and his wife, got 
religion. Thirty-two persons came forward- 
professed conversion, and joined the Church. 

When I saw how the work of God prospered 
in this region, it reminded me of a conversation 
I had held, prior to this time, with father De- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



185 



huff. I asked him, Why it was, that Bowman 
had no peace, nor contentment, although a con- 
verted man, at the time he resided on a good 
farm, and was doing well in the world ; but, 
that he should have left it and moved to Augh- 
w T ick valley, a poor country, when he could have 
done much better where he had lived. Dehuff 
referred me to Psalm 68 : 14 : " Wlien the 
Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as 
sjiow in Salmon." The German version reads, 
" Wenn der Allmachtige hin und wieder unter 
ihnen Konige setzet, so wird es helle, wo es 
dunkel ist." From this verse, it is evident, that 
God scatters his servants over the earth, by 
sending them into regions of country where 
spiritual darkness and wickedness reigns, to 
open the way for the preaching of the Gospel. 
By such means the truth is propagated. As 
" snow " is " white," representing light, so the 
light of God's word is " white as snow in dark- 
ness," bringing mankind out of it into its 
" marvelous light." 

But the passage quoted, says, " The Al- 
mighty scattered kings." Are all God's ser- 
vants "kings ?" John in the Eevelations, says, 
"And" he "has made us kings and priests 
unto God and his Father." From this, it ap- 
13 



186 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



pears, that God's true children are " kings," in 
a certain sense. As, however, I do not intend 
to preach a sermon on this point here, I will 
try to illustrate the case of Bowman by means 
of a dialogue. 

Question. " Were there not other people re- 
siding in that country at the time, who could 
have done the same things which Bowman did, 
without his leaving his comfortable situation 
and moving there?" 

Answer. " There were other persons there, 
who could have done a like work as he did; but 
they did not do so." 

4 "Why not?" 

A. "Because they were unconverted, un- 
willing to do so, being lovers of the world and 
pleasure, more than lovers of God. They had 
no relish for such things as the cause of God." 

Q. " How came it to pass then, that, after 
the pioneers of the Gospel had settled and 
preached in those dark regions, many of the 
people adopted their views, and fell into and 
practised the same measures with them?" 

A, " Such are the workings of God's Spirit 
upon men's hearts, that, when they become 
changed by it, their faculties, formerly engaged 
in worldly pursuits, are now employed in the 
cause of God." 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



187 



Q, " But could not God have converted some 
of them, and set them to work, without send- 
ing foreign instruments among them ?" 

A. " What God could have done, it is not 
our province to decide. One thing, however, is 
certain : He has, in many cases, converted a 
solitary sinner in the wilderness, without for- 
eign aid, through whom, as an instrument, the 
way was opened for the Gospel. But, as a gen- 
eral rule, he sends his missionaries into remote 
corners of the earth, with the command, " Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to 
every creature," and when he has a particular 
work for an individual to perform, impressions 
are made upon his mind by the Holy Spirit to 
that effect. It was under such impressions, I 
opine, that Bowman, and many others, emigrated 
to places, where they were most needed, in or- 
der to open the way for Christ's kingdom." 



CHAPTER XV. 

MY AFFLICTION — FAMILY AFFAIRS. 

In the year 1842, on the 22nd day of Au- 
gust, I was well and hearty as usual. Hereto- 
fore, I had had but little sickness, being a 



188 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



healthy man. That night, after having retired 
to bed, about 11 o'clock I rose up and went out 
on the porch for the purpose of inhaling fresh 
air. I then began to feel somewhat unwell. 
After remaining on the porch about one min- 
ute, I returned into the room, when I was sud- 
denly struck senseless and fell down on the 
floor. In this state I lay for about one hour, 
after which I recovered my senses, and came 
to my feelings. I then felt a severe pain in my 
breast and back. I took three doses of pills in 
a short time; but they did no me good whatever. 
The pains continued to increase so much, that 
I had to get on my hands and knees to enable 
me to get up, 

In this situation I remained in excruciating" 
pain, from Monday night until the Friday night 
following. Dr. ST. B. Lane was then sent for. 
He arrived next morning. He asked me, 

" What do you want ; are you afraid to die V 
I answered, 

"I am not afraid to die. "We must all die 
once. But, perhaps, you can relieve me of my 
pains ?" He rejoined, 

" I will try my best to do so." I said, 

" If you think you cannot relieve me, don't 
try experiments on my body. But let me die 
at once." 



REV. SAMUEL 1IUBER. 



189 



And so he commenced administering medi- 
cines with care and attention. He turned me 
over on my right side, in which situation I lay 
for two weeks. During this time, the pains 
continued to shoot through my back, like elec- 
tric shocks, with inconceivable torture ; and the 
flesh on my hip decayed and fell off from the 
bones. At one time, my wife had turned me 
over from my side, upon my back. "When the 
Doctor came to my bed side, he said, 

" I have a blister for your back." I said, 

"No, Sir ! None of that. Look at my hip." 

After looking at it, he remarked to my wife 
and a bystander, " His hip needs no blister. 
There will be no more pain in it, inasmuch as 
the flesh has decayed and become black." He 
then wanted to put a blister on my back. I 
said, 

" No ! That won't do. If you take the skin 
from off my back with a blister, how am I to 
lie ? for I cannot lie on my side. If you do put 
it on, and I have power enough in me, I will 
tear it off, and throw it on the floor." He re- 
plied, smiling, 

" If you want to suffer pain a while longer, 
so be it," and left for that time. 

In this condition I lay during five weeks, not 



190 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



having any power in my legs whatever. But, 
at the same time, my mind and voice were as 
strong as usual. After having suffered in this 
way, during the time above stated, Doctor Lane 
being in attendance, said, inquiringly, 

a What am I to do with you ? The medicine 
which I gave you, appears to have no effect 
what ever.' ' I answered, 

"You are the Doctor, and should know." 

He then prepared some medicine, which he 
requested me to take, viz : one powder at 11 
o'clock in the forenoon, and one dose of pills 
the same evening. All this I attended to, ac- 
cording to prescription. On the same day, it 
being Sunday, about 11 o'clock at night, I be- 
came so sick, in consequence of taking those 
nostrums, that I thought I must die. I felt 
languid, as though I were going to depart. Just 
then, I heard my brother Benjamin say, "Now 
he is gone." These were the last words I then 
heard. I became senseless in body, and lay as 
if dead, "Whether in the body or out of the 
body, I cannot tell; Godknoweth." 

It appeared to me, that I was standing on the 
borders of this world, looking with admiration 
on the beauties and extent on the other side of 
it. It seemed as if a person was standing along 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEE. 191 

side of me. I was so much enraptured with the 
beauteous sight beyond, that I requested him 
to take me across to the other side. He said, 
" ~Not yet. You must return back again to where 
you came from." After I recovered out of this 
state, I saw the persons who were standing 
around my bed. I spoke to them, saying, " I 
believe I am in my cabin house yet." It appear- 
ed to me, that this world and my house were so 
diminutive compared with the magnitude of the 
other world I saw, that they were scarcely worth 
noticing. After remaining for some short time 
in this condition, a voice spake to my mind, 
"It is enough." I answered, "Yes! this is 
enough for once." So I laid quiet until a short 
time before day light, pondering over my con- 
dition ; no person being in the room at the time. 
I still felt the aforementioned pains shooting 
through my body, when suddenly, two shocks 
in succession, like electricity, went through my 
body. In an instant, all my pains were gone. 
I felt no more of them. 

Next morning, Doctor Lane inquired how I 
felt. I said very well, so far. I feel no pain at 
all. The powder and pills I took by your direc- 
tions almost killed me. I continued, Doctor, 
you may take your preparations home. I will 



192 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



not take any more of them ; for I received an 
impression last night, plain as if spoken in my 
ears, that I should take no more medicine. He 
smiled. I told him, the way to prove whether 
my impression respecting the medicines be cor- 
rect or not, is to let me do without them for a 
few weeks. To this he agreed. And so for 
nearly three weeks, I refrained from taking 
medicine, and continued to grow better in body. 

At the Doctor's next visit, he found me near- 
ly sitting up in bed. He looked at me with a 
pleasant countenance, and said, " What a won- 
derful man you are !" However, I still felt much 
weakness in my back, and could not set up in 
bed, without being supported by pillows. The 
Doctor advised me to sit up in bed, and grad- 
ually move my body backward and forward, in 
order to gain strength, until I should become 
sufficiently strong to sit erect. This advice I 
followed, and by degrees recovered my usual 
strength and health of body ; for all which I am 
thankful to God. 

During my affliction, it took from five to six 
men to turn me over, from one side to the 
other. At the end of the first two weeks, after 
the flesh had decayed from my hip, the pain 
in it somewhat subsided, although pains con- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



193 



tinned, with great severity, in other parts of 
my body. After some wanderings of mind, oc- 
casioned by pains, my soul was resigned to the 
will of God. I felt no earthly cares. I gave 
np my will to God. I could say, " The Lord 
gave" health, "and the Lord has " afflicted, 
" blessed be the name of the Lord." The fear 
of death was gone. I felt ready to go at my 
Master's call. 

Throughout the continuance of my affliction, 
hundreds of brethren, and other people, visited 
me. Some came to comfort, and others to dictate. 
Brother J. Ehinehart, at one time told me, "I 
was wanting in the exercise of patience — was 
too restless under pain — should be more calm 
— and lay quiet." To this I replied, " Can you 
stay the thunder and lightning, when it hovers 
over us ? I can no more avoid the strokes of 
pain running through my body, than you can 
stop thunder and lightning." This settled the 
point with him. He decamped. 

At one time a number of my brethren, and 
other persons, were in my house. In their con- 
versations with each other, they complained 
much of the hardness of the times, scarcity of 
money, &c. I reproved them for their murmur- 
ings against providence, by reminding them 



194 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



that, having health, food and raiment, they 
should therewith be content ; and also, that 
there was a vast difference between persons 
enjoying good health, and suffering afflictions. 
In most cases, however, they appeared more 
like "Job's comforters," than like brethren 
come to comfort me in my afflictions. Their 
conversations savored of the opinion, that all 
my afflictions were sent as judgments for sins 
committed ; and when God's children are afflict- 
ed, it is in consequence of their sins. 

Now I do not, by any means, reject the doc- 
trine, that afflictions are frequently sent as just 
judgments from God upon transgressors of his 
law. But, I opine, that this is not the case in 
every instance, in which God's children are 
chastised. I could frequently hear those breth- 
ren talk among themselves, and say, that they 
thought "I must have committed some secret 
sin against God, for which he sent this heavy 
affliction upon me." But some of those good 
brethren in their "zeal for censure," had either 
not read in holy writ, or if they had read, could 
not understand^ that some of God's most faith- 
ful children had undergone the severest afflic- 
tion. And, as some of my dictating brethren 
professed at least to be Scripture readers, it 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



195 



might have been thought, that they had read 
the case of " Job," who was " a perfect and up- 
light man, fearing God and eschewing evil," so 
that even the devil could not bring a just accu- 
sation against him. Notwithstanding his " in- 
tegrity/' he was still afflicted, almost beyond 
human endurance. 

From the course that some of my comforters 
took, it did almost appear, that they had not 
read the case of " Job." Or, if they had read 
it, it sounded a little " queer" that they could 
not comprehend how it was, that a righteous 
man may be brought under the rod of affliction 
without having committed a particular sin. 
But, inasmuch as they continued to judge me, 
according to their own notions, or perhaps ac- 
cording to their own failings, I, therefore, while 
confined to my bed, referred them to several 
portions of the apostle Paul's writings, such as 
the following : 

" And ye have forgotten the exhortation, 
which speaketh unto you as unto children : My 
son, despise not thou the chastening of the 
Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. 
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and 
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you 
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as 



196 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



with sons : for what son is he whom the father 
chasteneth not. But if ye be without chastise- 
ment, whereof all' are partakers, then are ye 
bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we have 
had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, an d 
we gave them reverence : shall we not much 
rather be in subjection to the father of spirits 
and live ? For they verily for a few days chas- 
tened us after their own pleasure : but he for 
our profit that we might be partakers of his 
holiness." Heb. 12: 5-10. 

In addition to the foregoing, I called their 
attention to the following : 

" And lest I should be exalted above measure 
through the abundance of the revelations, there 
was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the mes- 
senger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be 
exalted above measure. For this thing I be- 
sought the Lord thrice, that it might depart 
from me. And he said unto me : My grace is 
sufficient for thee : for my strength is made 
perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, 
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the 
power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Cor. 
12 : 7-9. 

"And there was a certain beggar named 
Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of 
sores." Luke 16 : 20. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



197 



I also propounded to them the following ques- 
tions, viz : 

" Whether Paul, after he had been in the 
third heavens, had committed a particular sin, 
in consequence of which ; A thorn was given 
him in the flesh,' with which to be ' buffeted 
by Satan?' " 

" "Whether 6 Lazarus ' had committed a par- 
ticular sin, that he was afflicted with £ sores ?' " 

To these, they made no answer. 

It appeared to me to be almost impossible, to 
convince some of my brethren, that a righteous 
man may be afflicted, without having commit- 
ted some particular sin. Now, although I had 
made it my constant practice^ after I had set 
out in God's service, to fear Him and do the 
works of righteousness, nevertheless, I had to 
lament my short comings. Still, I felt no con- 
demnation, in consequence of wilful omissions 
of duties towards God. And as he had honor- 
ed me far more than I felt myself to deserve, as 
an instrument in his hands to further his cause, 
I looked upon my affliction as sent from him, 
" lest I should be exalted above measure, 
through the revelation given to me," and by 
reason of the many souls I had good reason to 
believe had been converted through my minis- 
trations. I, therefore, felt resigned to my condi- 



198 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



tion, knowing, " that whom the Lord loveth he 
chasteneth." 

I told several of my comforters, that I feared 
their religion consisted more in profession, than 
in possession, and unless they would undergo 
chastisement, more or less, they had reason to 
fear, that they were " bastards and not sons." 
In order to sustain my position, I further quoted 
Zachariah 13 : 8-9, " And it shall come to pass, 
that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts 
therein shall be cut off and die : but the third 
part shall be left therein. And I will bring the 
third part through the fire, and will refine them 
as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is 
tried : they shall call on my name, and I will 
hear them ; I will say, It is my people : and they 
shall say, The Lord is my God." And Malachi 
3 : 2. 3, "But who may abide the day of his 
coming ? and who shall stand when he appear- 
eth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like ful- 
ler's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and 
purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons 
of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that 
they may offer unto the Lord an offering in 
righteousness." 

Taking into view the Scripture passages 
quoted in the present connection, it is plain to 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



199 



be seen, that God's servants must be tried 
through the furnance of affliction, in order to 
humble them. Besides all this, man does not, 
at all times, know himself. When he enjoys 
health and prosperity, he may readily trust in 
God, and conclude, that he is fully resigned to 
his will. But when circumstances are changed 
by means of adversity and affliction, he may find 
w r ithin himself a disposition differing much 
from that which he supposed he had. He may 
find that he is not altogether so submissive to 
his situation, as he had thought he would be. 
There are some dispositions, which lay dormant 
in the heart for want of proper occasions to de- 
velop them. But when bodily or other afflic- 
tions are sent upon us, we find out what kind 
of spirits we possess, whether they are gold or 
dross, patient or impatient; and for this reason, 
God afflicts his children, for the trial of their 
faith and patience ; and that they may know 
their own hearts. Throughout my afflictions, 
the grace of God was my support. I firmly be- 
lieved, that it was for my "profit that I might 
be a partaker of his holiness," as before stated, 
that God dealt with me in the manner in which 
he did. 

During the continuance of my affliction, 



200 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



preaching, and prayer meetings were almost 
constantly held in my house. At one time, 
when all hope of my recovery was given up, 
brother Nicholas Patterson, a Presbyterian min- 
ister, paid us a visit"; and there being a great 
many persons present at the time, he preached 
to us from 2 Timothy 4 : 7, 8, " I have fought a 
good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 
the righteous J udge, shall give me at that day : 
and not to me only, but unto all them also that 
love his appearing." 

In his remarks upon the subject, after alluding 
to my ministerial labors, he said, in words sim- 
ilar to the following: "Brother Huber will 
soon be gone ! You will then no longer see 
and hear him admonishing sinners to flee the 
wrath to come. After he is gone, his zealous 
labors will no longer be seen and felt among 
you. People will then look back upon former 
days, in which they heard him preach the un- 
searchable riches of Christ. But as he ' fought 
the good fight,' ' finished his course,' ' kept the 
faith,' he will now reap the crown, of right- 
eousness, laid up for all God's faithful servants,' 
&c." 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



201 



Now, although the brother, with the rest of 
his hearers, had concluded almost to a certainty, 
that my earthly race had been run, yet the good 
Lord thought otherwise, and raised me up again, 
to resume my labors in his vineyard. In view 
of the above, and similar remarks, made by 
brother Patterson, it was reported that he had 
preached my funeral sermon before I was dead. 

DEATH OF PART OF MY FAMILY. 

I will here give a statement of some incidents 
connected with the religious experiences of part 
of my family. My daughter Elizabeth was 
born on the 23rd of March, 1807. At about 
the age of ten years, she became awakened to a 
sense of her lost condition, and commenced to 
seek the Lord through the means of grace ; and 
although she led a good moral life, she had not 
yet arrived at that state of religious experience 
in which she had confidence to believe, that she 
had felt a change of heart. In this state of 
mind she grew up to the age of twenty odd 
years, when she was married to her cousin, Ben- 
jamin Huber, and lived with him about ten 
years. In the month of August, 1841, she 
took sick. Her sickness commenced with the 
night sweat. The physician, who attended her, 
said she was consumpted. After a linger- 



202 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ing illness of about four months' continuance, 
the doctor gave up her case as incurable, and 
told us, that "we should inform her that he 
could not help her." This was on Sunday. 
That evening I told her what the doctor had 
said. She calmly replied, 

" If the doctor can't help me, I must look 
for help elsewhere ," and commenced to call 
upon God in fervent prayer, believing every 
day to be her last. In this way she continued 
one week. On the following Sunday, she asked 
me, 

"Do you intend to go to meeting to-day ?" 
I replied, 

" My appointment is at brother Stouffer's. I 
thought of going there to preach." She re- 
joined, 

" Sing and pray before you go." 

"With the family we kneeled, and prayed in 
her behalf. When the rest of us rose up, she 
remained upon her knees in devotion, and con- 
tinued in this posture during the fore-part of 
that day. At length her mother lifted her up 
and placed her in bed. In the evening, during 
the time of prayer meeting in the house, she 
was blest in a measure; but was not fully satis- 
fied with regard to the evidence of her spiritual 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



203 



adoption. Next morning she told us that she 
had dreamed the preceding night, and said, 

" I saw in my dream a company of angels, 
and Jesus Christ with them, attended w T ith in- 
expressible, rapturous, harmonious sounds of 
music, and while they were moving onward, 
they encircled and placed me in their midst, and 
took me some distance with them. After this, 
they left me and went off." I asked her, 

" Do you understand the dream." She- re- 
plied, 

" It betokened, that I am not ready to go 
yet." 

I encouraged her, by presenting God's prom- 
ises to the earnest seekers of salvation, and told 
her, to lay hold upon Christ by faith, assuring 
her that he would reveal himself to her in a 
more powerful manner, &c. On the following 
Tuesday evening, the circuit preacher preached 
in my house. It was his regular appointment. 
After preaching, we continued in prayer for 
some time, in the course of which, I requested 
the preacher to sing and pray again. But it 
appeared as though he had no religion, or had 
lost what he had, if he ever had any at all. For 
he leaned his head forward on the table where 
he was sitting, and remained "mum" Seeing 



204 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



no other way, I delivered an exhortation. Two 
persons got under conviction, and remained on 
their knees in prayer. While the meeting was 
thus going forward, my daughter received a 
more powerful blessing in her soul than she had 
received before, and expressed herself accord- 
ingly. I said to her, 

" Are you satisfied now." She replied, 

" Yes ! glory to God, I am." 

She continued exulting in her Saviour in a 
happy frame of mind, from Tuesday night until 
the Thursday night following. On that evening 
a great many relatives and other persons were 
sitting in the room. Elizabeth was sitting in 
the rocking chair. Suddenly she exclaimed to 
the astonishment of all present, 

" Glory to God ! I can go now. I see the 
company of angels I saw in my dream. They 
are here now. Don't you see them ? I see 
them as plainly as I see you, and Jesus in their 
midst." 

She clapped her hands, and laughed tears of 
joy in the near prospect of going to meet her 
Saviour, saying, " If I had power, I would jump 
upon my feet and praise the Lord." In this 
happy state of soul she continued, her bodily 
strength still decreasing. On Sunday evening, 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



205 



as she was lying upon her bed, another death- 
like spell came over her. She lay as if dead. 
We concluded that she was dead, when unex- 
pectedly she raised her right arm and said, 
" Glory — Glory," &c. After this she became 
more calm and partook of some refreshment 
that night. 

On Monday she felt somewhat easier in body, 
but still expecting to die. On Tuesday evening, 
at the time we w T ere sitting around her bed, ex- 
pecting her last moments on earth, Mr. George 
Lightner, a near neighbor, came hastily to my 
house, with a request for me to go to his house, 
as his mother was about dying. I told him I 
could not go then, as we were awaiting the 
death of Elizabeth. She overheard our conver- 
sation, and said, " Father, go." I mounted my 
horse, and, with hasty pace, went with him. 
When I arrived at his house, his mother was 
just about leaving this world. We kneeled in 
prayer, after which she revived for a short time, 
and then expired, with the hope of a joyful res- 
urrection. This was about 1 o'clock in the 
evening. I then returned home. My daughter 
asked me, 

" How is Mrs. Lightner ?" I answered, 
" She has gone to her long home." She re- 
plied, 



206 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



"By to-morrow morning there will be anoth- 
er one gone. 5 ' 

The next morning about 7 o'clock, the 22nd 
of December, 1841, she departed this life,-prais- 
ing the Lord, that she was going to join Jesus 
her Saviour, with the angels above. She left 
her son Samuel, who is now living, to the care 
of her husband, with affectionate requests to 
bring him up in the fear and ways of the Lord. 
May Samuel remember his mother's prayers in 
his behalf ! 

An opinion has obtained currency with some 
people, that children, in their juvenile years, 
cannot obtain religion ; and this opinion is 
grounded upon the presumption, that juveniles 
have not the capacity to discern the difference 
between the workings of God's Spirit upon 
their hearts, and other influences. From such 
premises it is argued, that they should not be 
taught to look for a change of heart, until they 
arrive to a state of maturity. For if they were 
to receive a blessing from the Lord upon their 
souls, they could not know whether they were 
made happy through grace, or by other means. 
It would, therefore, be useless to teach them in 
that way. In order to show the futility of such 
opinions, I will here state a case, which came 
under my own observation. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER 



207 



My sou Solomon, between the age of five and 
six years, used to go into the room, kneel down 
and pray daily, with as much decorum as grown 
persons, and when he came out from his devo- 
tion, his countenance indicated that he felt in 
prayer. His features were calm and serene. 
Not a smile was to be seen in his face. In this 
way he continued until the fall of 1816, when 
he was afflicted with the head Pleurisy. Doc- 
tor Jeremiah Senseny attended him. After be- 
ing confined to bed with that disease nine days, 
one morning, after family prayer, whilst we 
were singing a hymn, he jumped out of bed, 
clapping his hands, shouting " Glory," in 
ecstacy of joy, saying, "The Lord has blest my 
soul and made me happy." He continued 
leaping and praising in that strain from out of 
his bedroom into the adjoining room, until his 
strength became exhausted. His mother then 
placed him in bed, where he lay a few days, and 
expired, in November, 1816. 

THE LAST DAYS OF MY FIRST WIFE. 

In the winter of 1854, my first wife, Nancy, 
was taken ill with inflammatory fever. Doctor 
Richards was her physician. After attending 
to her case for about two weeks, one Monday 



208 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



morning he said she was convalescent and need- 
ed no more medicine. Accordingly, her health 
improved, and she was able to attend to some 
of her domestic affairs. The following Thurs- 
day morning, after leaving her bed as usual, and 
remaining up for several hours, she told us that 
she had had a wonderful dream the preceding 
night. She said, " In my dream I saw a large 
building, in extent and magnitude beyond the 
reach of my sight. There appeared to be no 
end to it whatever. It looked white as snow ; 
clear and transparent as glass. A person seem- 
ed to be employed about the building. He 
came to me and said that the house was finished. 
At this I awoke out of my sleep." 

That day, as she told us, the building which 
she saw in her dream appeared to be constantly 
before her eyes, in all its beauty and splendor. 
She could not rid herself of the sight. In the 
evening, my son-in-law, Benjamin Huber, his 
wife and son Samuel, came to my house. My 
wife was then lying in bed, somewhat enfeebled, 
but having no pain. She conversed freely and 
in a happy manner. She told them her dream. 
And while the family, with other persons, were 
sitting in an adjoining room in conversation, she 
called Hannah Stouffer into her room, and then 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



209 



got up out of bed, aud said, " that building is 
still before my eyes." While in the act of ma- 
king a few steps, she was instantly struck with 
Apoplexy — expired— and fell on her bed. Thus 
the Lord took from me my beloved wife and 
helpmeet, on the 20th day of January, 1854, 
aged 67 years, 11 months and L 23 days, after hav- 
ing lived happily togethei nearly forty-eight 
years. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

TWO ANGELS — A UNIVERSALIST — STATISTICS OF THE 
UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. 

MOTHER SENSENY'S EXPERIENCE. 

At one time I was sent for by Mrs. A. Sense- 
ny, then eighty years of age, widow of Dr. 
A. Senseny, deceased, to pay her a ministerial 
visit. When I came to her, she said, 

" Inasmuch as I am now old and well strick- 
en in years, I do not expect to live much longer in 
this world. Therefore I have sent for you, to 
ask counsel respecting my spiritual condition. " 
I asked her, 

" Well ! Have you been trying to serve the 
Lord during your past life ?" She replied, 



210 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



" Yes ! I have been trying to serve him up- 
wards of forty years ; but I have not yet obtain- 
ed evidence of my acceptance with him. I have 
many doubts and fears. I fear my soul will be 
lost." I rejoined, 

u It is sometimes difficult for one person to 
give correct advice to another, respecting the 
state of his soul, without knowing something 
about his religious experience." She said, 

" I can relate to you the exercises of my mind 
and my experience in that way, if you wish to 
hear it." I said, 

" "Well ! Relate to me your religious expe- 
rience. T may then be able to give you correct 
counsel." With this request she complied, and, 
among other things related, she said, 

" I have read the Bible and prayed to God 
daily during forty years past ; but, after all, I 
am not satisfied, because I want the spinrual 
evidence which I think Christians should have ? 
according to the teachings of the Holy Scrip- 
tures." I then told her, 

" Your spiritual state is just like a person 
standing or sitting outside of a house, wanting 
to get into it, when the door is shut. Your 
duty is to believe in Jesus Christ, and continue 
in prayer to God. ' Knock and it shall be 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



211 



opened unto you,' to enter the spiritual house. 
If God intended your destruction, he would 
have cut you off long ago." 

By this admonition she became much en- 
couraged, and continued by faith and prayer, to 
lay hold upon the hope set before her. I left 
her the next morning. Some time after this, I 
received another message, requesting me to 
visit her again. In company with Joseph Hoff- 
man, I went to see her. "When we came into 
the room where she was, I inquired of her 
health, &c. But, as she was much affected, she 
could not, in consequence of the deep emotions 
of her heart, answer for some time. At length, 
addressing me, she said, 

" A few days after you left me, at your first 
visit, I was lying in bed, reflecting over my 
state. There was no person in the room at the 
time. Suddenly, the door opened silently, and 
two men, clothed in white raiment, with smiling 
countenances entered the room, walked up to 
my bed side and spoke peace to my doubting 
heart. All my doubts and fears were removed. 
One of them held a piece of paper in his hand, 
and wrote my name upon it, and said, 6 Your 
name is recorded in heaven.' After this, they 
vanished out of sight." She continued, 



212 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



" What was the reason, that I could not be- 
lieve like other Christians ; but had to give the 
good Lord so much trouble that he had to send 
two angels to bless me, before I could fully be- 
lieve his word ?" I replied, 

" The Lord could not save you in any other 
way than that by which he brought Cornelius 
to the light." I referred to Acts 10 : 3-4, " He 
saw in a vision evidently, about the ninth hour 
of the day, an angel of God coming in to him, 
and saying unto him, Cornelius, and when he 
looked upon him, he was afraid, and said, What 
is it, Lord ? And he said unto him, thy pray- 
ers and thine alms are come up for a memorial 
before God." 

Shortly after this she departed this life, hap- 
py in the Lord. 

COMMENCEMENT OF " BIG MEETINGS." 

Inasmuch as some of the old " land marks " 
of United Brethrenism, in some places, have 
been removed, and other more fashionable ones, 
suited to the times, erected in their stead, it may 
not be out of place to call the attention of the 
reader, to the way and manner in which breth- 
ren in former times used to hold meetings and 
provide for the accommodation of the people 
who attended them. It was no uncommon 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



213 



thing then, for a brother farmer to give out an 
appointment for a " big meeting " to be held at 
his house. And it was expected, as a matter of 
course, that the people attending it should have 
something to eat while there. For this reason, 
provision for the people and provender for the 
horses, were prepared in sufficient quantities to 
meet the wants of the expected assemblage. It 
was not considered a strange thing among Uni- 
ted Brethren, for the brother at whose house the 
meeting was to be held, to slaughter a few hogs, 
sheep, or calves, and, on extra occasions, a 
beef ; and to have a quantity of bread — cakes — 
and pies baked, with bushels of potatoes and 
other vegetables ready for use. 

In addition to these preparations, one indis- 
pensable item in the farmer's utensels needed 
for such an occasion, was a large table, from ten 
to twenty feet in length, and from four to five 
feet in breadth. The top of it was made of 
good old tough oak or pine boards, from one to 
two inches in thickness. These were placed 
upon a frame, supported by feet made of oak 
or pine scantling, from three to four inches 
square. This table was then decorated with 
pewter and earthen dishes, with cups and sau- 
cers of the latter material, pewter spoons, iron 
knives and forks, together with large pewter 



214 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



and earthen dishes and bowls, which were placed 
on the centre, as receptacles for eatables, and out 
of which the consumers were supplied. 

These "big meetings" were attended by 
crowds of people. Some came from a great 
distance. The hosts at whose houses the meet- 
ings were held, were not scared, when they 
saw carriages, wagons and vehicles of all sizes, 
then in use, drawn by four legged animals and 
loaded with saints and sinners coming to the 
meetings. Some came to see and to be seen ; 
others, to hear preaching. In many instances, 
from one to two hundred persons were enter- 
tained and fed during the meeting, together 
with their horses. At the meeting at Daniel 
"Whisler's, before referred to, upwards of four 
hundred persons took dinner at his house on 
the Sabbath. 

The anxiety to hear the gospel then felt in 
many hearts, may be illustrated by an incident 
the editor of this work heard related by brother 
H. Kumler, Jr. He said, " At one time as he 
was riding along the road, he met a woman 
coming towards him with great haste. He en- 
quired of her, c Where are you going to in such 
haste V She replied, £ I am going to meeting. 
I want to hear preaching.' " And as she was 
neither walking, nor riding, how think you, 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



215 



reader, she was going ? Why, " she was run- 
ning to hear the gospel preached.'' 

But, while the brethren were thus holding 
meetings and entertaining people free of charge 
at their houses, it was often remarked by other 
persons, with respect to a certain individual, 
tbat he would be " eaten out of house and home 
in a short time, go to rack, &c." Now, I do 
not wish to be understood to say, that a person, 
who is distinguished for his hospitality, may 
not, in some instances, become bankrupt, 
through miscalculated speculations, or unfor- 
seen circumstances. But, so far as my person- 
al knowledge extends, and it is not very limit- 
ed, I have never known a person who became 
poor in worldly affairs, by giving of his sub- 
stance to the cause of God. 

There once resided in Lancaster county, Pa., 
a brother, whose house was a general rendez- 
vous for preachers and other persons. Father 
Newcomer said to him one time, " that he 
thought the preachers were becoming too hard 
on him, by putting up at his house so often. 
To this, the brother replied, "If you want me 
to get rich in the world, just send me as many 
people as you can. I will entertain them free 
ot charge and be glad to do it." He carried 
out the measure of hospitality to its full extent, 



216 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

by entertaining free of charge all who came to 
him, and they were not a few. He increased 
in worldly riches, to a great extent, and fully 
realized the declaration of Scripture, " He that 
giveth to the poor, lendeth unto the Lord, and 
that which he hath given him, shall be returned 
to him again." 

It was by such means as those referred to, 
that the United Brethren shed a salutary influ- 
ence around them, and prevailed on the people 
to come to their meetings. They counted it 
good pay for their trouble and expense, when 
sinners were converted, and believers establish- 
ed in the faith. The same spirit of hospitality 
exists among many of them at this day. Whilst, 
however, I make these remarks respecting the 
hospitality of the United Brethren, I also say, 
that there are members of other religious de- 
nominations also, who manifest the same spirit 
of liberality, and even excel in it. My object in 
noting such things is to show how United 
Brethrenism began, and is still prosecuted to a 
great extent. 

]STow, although the first United Brethren 
preachers, with few exceptions, preached with- 
out pay, it must be understood, that, in most 
cases, they were farmers, and could afford to do 
so. I received during my ministry of over for- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEK. 



217 



ty years continuance, less than twenty dollars, 
for travelling expenses and preaching. All this 
does not, however, prove, that men, who pur- 
sue no other calling than that of the ministry, 
should labor in it without a competent remuner- 
ation. I hold, that a preacher of the gospel 
should be supported by the gospel, provided, 
however, that he be faithful to his calling. I 
will state, in this connection, that I frequently 
left home in the morning, rode to Amberson's 
or Path vallies, across two mountains, preached 
there at an appointment, and returned the same 
night, making a distance going and returning 
of thirty-four miles. 

There resided some years ago, near the Cale- 
donia Iron works, Franklin county, Pa., two 
men with their families, none of whom had re- 
ligion at the commencement of the following 
occurrence. The names of the two men were, 
J. F. and R. 0. They were brother-in-laws. 
R. 0. was a violent opponent of the Methodists. 
He would not permit any members of his fam- 
ily to go to their meetings* The Methodist 
meeting house was not far from R. O's. dwell- 
ing. They wanted a sexton for it. In order 
to get the situation, R. 0. pretended to be one 
of their greatest friends, and became sexton. 
15 



218 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



All this lie related afterwards. On one occasion, 
during preaching in the meeting house, as it 
was his duty as sexton, to be there, the word 
preached made some impression on his heart. 
After meeting, on returning home, he told his 
wife and J. F., who, with his family, were at his 
house at the time, "that the Methodist preach- 
er was a wonderful man," and requested them 
"to come and hear him preach in the evening." 
Accordingly, the two men with their wives 
went to hear the preacher. But their prejudi- 
ces against the Methodists would not permit 
them to take their children with them. 

After the parents were gone, the children 
being left in the house, several of them young 
girls, the oldest said to the rest, " Our parents 
have gone to the meeting, and would not let us 
go with them. We may as well sing and pray 
at home." So they began to sing — pray — and 
call upon Him, who said, " Suffer little children 
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of 
such is the kingdom of God." 

They continued in their worship for some time, 
during which four of them got religion and 
were made happy, shouting and praising the 
Lord. When the parents returned from the 
meeting, and saw their children in this situa- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 219 



tion, they looked upon them with surprise and 
astonishment ; and as R. 0. had always opposed 
such things as shouting, he, with the rest of his 
relatives, said, " This convinced them, that it 
was not the work of man, as they had thought 
it was, but the work of God*" The parents 
then began to pray for themselves, and in the 
course of some time afterwards, experienced the 
new birth and followed the Lord. 

Some time after the affair with R. 0. and J. 
F. and their families had taken place, D. F., 
brother to J. F., at this time residing with his 
family near my house, and not knowing any 
thing about the conversion of his brother and 
relatives, near Caledonia, had occasion to cross 
the South mountain. On his way, he called 
upon his brother-in-law, R. 0., who told him the 
circumstance of the children's and parents' con- 
version, &c. They then held a family prayer 
meeting. D. F. afterwards said, " that the 
children's prayers were fervent and affecting 
enough to soften a stone." During the meet- 
ing, he got under conviction for his sins. Next 
morning, in great distress of soul, he resumed 
his journey. At one place, before he got over 
the mountain, it appeared to his vision, that the 



220 AUTOBIOGRAPHY Of 

earth had opened just before him, and that he 
could see hell beneath. Fearing to go another 
step forward, lest he should sink into the abyss, 
he stopped his horse, alighted and fastened him 
to a tree, then fell upon his knees, and wrestled 
with God in prayer until he was blest. Pie then 
went on his way rejoicing. On his return to 
R. 0. and relatives, he related what the Lord 
had done for his soul on the way. Upon this 
they had a happy time of it. When he came 
home, he came to me in great haste, giving me 
an account of his conversion, &c, &c. Before 
he obtained religion, he used to say, " that peo- 
ple could enjoy religion without making church 
bells of themselves, by sounding it abroad." 
I reminded him of that, and said, " How comes 
it, that you are making a bell of yourself now?" 
He replied, u Circumstances alter cases. A 
person may talk about keeping religion to him- 
self, when he has none ; but when he gets convert- 
ed, he feels it to be rather a hard matter to keep 
it a secret" 

STATISTICS. 

The following statistics of the Church of the 
United Brethren in Christ, are taken from the 
most correct data which I could obtain : 



REV. SAMUEL HUEER. 



221 



Annual Conferences. 

Pennsylvania, East Pennsylvania, Allegheny. 
Virginia, Parkersburg, . Miama. 
Michigan, Auglaize, . Canada. 
Muskingum, Tennessee, St. Josephs. 

Illinois, Wabash, Indiana. 

Missouri, Des Moines, Iowa. 
Minnesota, Kansas, Oregon. 
Erie, Sciota, Maumee. 

"White Eiver, Sandusky, *Rock River. 

*A German Conference. 

The number of preachers and members be- 
longing to these Conferences, as given to me 
by Bishop Davis, are about one thousand 
preachers, one half of whom are itinerants, and 
about seventy thousand church members, not 
including baptized infants. 

The Church has a Home, Frontier, and For- 
eign Missionary Society, which employs in the 
Home field 132 missionaries, and in the Fron- 
tier and Foreign field 70. It has expended du- 
ring the past four years, for 

Africa Mission, . . . $5,500 00 
Oregon " . . . 3,420 00 

2,550 



Kansas, " 
Missouri, " 



1,750 



00 
00 



Caried over, 



$13,220 00 



222 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



Brought over, $13,220 00 

German Miss. Conference, . 2,950 00 

Michigan " " . . 1,200 00 

Minnesota, . . 400 00 

Canada, . . 2,310 00 

Nebraska, . . 1,500 00 



Total for Frontier and Foreign, $21,580 00 
Expended for home work, as follows : 
For the year, ending June, 1854, $11,128 10 



" " 1855, 13,293 92 

" " " 1856, 18,610 19 

" " " 1857, 17,070 20 

Total expenditures for the home 

work in four years, 60,102 41 

Total for Home, Frontier and For- 
eign, 81,682 41 



The Church has a Printing Establishment in 
Dayton, Ohio, where is published the " Eeli- 
gious Telescope," together with a large amount 
of periodicals, books, &c. The Pennsylvania 
Annual Conference, as taken from the secreta- 
ry's, W. B. Kaber's, records, embracing York, 
Adams, Cumberland and Franklin counties, 
with a portion of Fulton, contains sixty- 
eight regular preaching appointments, forty-five 
churches, forty-five preachers, and two thousand 
eight hundred and seventy-four members. This 
Conference raised the past year $1,300 00 mis- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEK. 223 

sionary funds. The United Brethren have, in- 
cluding Salem church, with a membership of 
over fifty persons, near the Kocky Spring, in 
Franklin county, Pa., fifteen churches, and in 
York county, Pa., fourteen churches. Prom 
other counties, I have no correct account. 

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. 

Bishop Newcomer, with other persons, rela- 
ted an occurrence to me which took place in 
their presence at a camp meeting held in York 
county, Pa. At one time, during its continu- 
ance, the wicked threatened to storm the camp 
in the night. Towards evening, they began to 
collect in great crowds, armed with bludgeons 
and other offensive weapons, making great 
threats and menaces against the tent holders. 
Amongst the professors of religion on the 
ground, might have been seen some, who made 
great pretensions to faith and trust in provi- 
dence when no danger was near ; but, when 
surrounded by an approaching hurricane, like 
Peter on the sea, they began to sink. Fainting 
hearts and pale faces were seen, occasioned 
through the fear of being overrun by the enemy. 
But, as records inform us of instances in which 
a few righteous, strong in faith, persons had saved 
a city ; so, in this case, there were also some 



224 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



praying people, whose trust and faith in a su- 
perintending providence became strengthened 
in the time of danger. These, seeing the camp 
surrounded and threatened in this hostile man- 
ner, betook themselves to prayer, looking to 
the Lord for help. 

Accordingly, towards evening, just about the 
time the " Amalekites" were preparing them- 
selves for the assault, dark clouds were seen 
slowly rising above the horizon — thunders were 
heard rolling in the distance — piles of clouds, 
swiftly propelled forward by an irresistible force, 
came rolling over each other and obscured the 
heavens from view — palpable darkness covered 
the camp — and then, as if a match had been 
applied to a fiery element, peals of thunder shot 
forth from the clouds above — immense flashes 
of lightning glared throughout the camp — me- 
teors, like large fire balls falling from the zenith 
to the earth and carried forward by a mighty 
whirlwind, rolled and flew to and fro over the 
ground and over the people, and through some 
of the tents, and went far off into the woods. 
It appeared as if the battlements of heaven had 
opened, sending its elements down in succes- 
sive streams of fire. This scene lasted over one 
hour, during which time the wicked became so 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



225 



much terrified, that, by rapid movements, they 
cleared themselves from the ground. After 
this phenomenon had subsided, and no one was 
hurt by it, the meeting went on without fur- 
ther disturbance. 

After Newcomer left the ground, on his way 
to York, he was accosted by some persons, who 
said to him, " You can now see that your camp 
meetings are wrong. God sent his fire amongst 
your people to destroy the camp." To this he re- 
plied, " God was our guard, and sent His thun- 
der and lightning to prevent the wicked from 
doing us injury." And such was really the case, 



CHAPTER XYH. 

REV. DANIEL EUNKHOUSER'S EXPERIENCE. 

By request, I give part of my religious expe- 
rience and call to the ministry. I was born in 
Shenandoah county, Virginia, Februarj' 18th, 
1809. From my earliest recollections, my 
mind was deeply impressed with thoughts of 
getting to heaven after my death. The irregu- 
lar conduct of some professors of religion was a 
great stumbling block to me. They would 
partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
together, before and after which, they would 
curse, swear and fight. 



226 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 



When the United Brethren preachers began 
to preach to us, a great excitement took place 
throughout the country in consequence of these 
false prophets, as they were called. The first 
preachers who came to us, were C. Newcomer, j 
(1. A. Guething and W. Otterbein. When I first ] 
heard one of them preach, his words came home 
to my heart, producing strange feelings. Sure 
enough, thought I, he may be one of the false 1 
spirits, and may bewitch me. 0, if I was only 
out of the house, I exclaimed to myself. How- 
ever, I remained until the preacher was done. 
His words produced a great perplexity in my 
mind, respecting the different societies. I be- 
gan to pray to God to show me the right way in 
which to serve him. 

The Holy Spirit operated on my heart, when 
I was but a small boy ; but I did not then know 
what it was. When I was between the age of 
thirteen and fourteen years, the United Breth- 
ren held a camp meeting in our parts. I went 
to it, in order to see, &c. ; but, at the same time, 
had my fears least I should be caught. I still 
continued to pray to God, to show me whether 
these were his people, or not. On Monday 
morning I went into a tent during the time a 
prayer meeting was held in it. I crept behind 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



227 



a tree, which stood in the corner of the tent, 
still praying to be led in the right way, when 
suddenly a ray of divine light, quick as light- 
ning, shone into my heart. I saw at once that 
all was not right with me, and felt my sins 
sticking to my heart, like burs to a woolen 
garment. By this I knew that I was unfit for 
heaven. A heavy burden lay on my heart. 

I left the camp and went home without find- 
ing peace. Whilst laboring under this convic- 
tion, every thing I saw appeared to be in a 
mournful condition. In this state of mind I 
remained until the following Friday evening. 
Some time before night, I went into the woods 
to pray. I kneeled under a white oak tree. 
As I began to pray, it appeared to me as if 
something was running around me at a short 
distance, making a curious noise. I fancied I 
could hear the cracking of brush. After some 
time spent in prayer, I went into a private room 
up stairs in the house, so that no person should 
hear me. The family being out at the time, I 
kneeled beside a bed in prayer, when, instantly, 
it appeared as if hell were open right under me, 
and that I was hanging over it, holding with 
both hands to a small rope stretched across. 

My mother, being at the barn, heard me pray. 



228 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



She came to me and asked what was the mat- 
ter. I said, " 0, mother ! pray for a poor boy, 
who is hanging at a rope over a fiery lake." 
She kneeled by my side and prayed in my be- 
half. Whilst in this agony, I heard a still soft 
voice saying, " Let go the rope." I thought if ! 
I would let go my hold, I would drop into the 
fire. I prayed on. The voice said again, "Let 
go thy hold." Then one hand let go. The 
third time it said, " Only let go thy hold." At 
this I thought, Well, I have deserved nothing | 
else. It is just and right. If I must be lost, I 
am willing to drop into this fiery lake. I then 
said, " In the name of the Lord Jesus of Naza- 
reth, here I go ;" and let go my hold. I fell on 
mercy's side, and saw T no more of the lake of 
fire. My burden of guilt was removed. I felt 
love, joy and peace in my heart. Every thing 
I saw, appeared in shining colors. I felt like a 
new boy in a new world, so that I could say 
with the Apostle, " Old things have passed away 
and all things have become new." I was in a 
constant stream of joy and peace, "JSTot a cloud 
to hide my sun, nor wave of trouble to roll across 
my peaceful breast." 

Thus I went on, smooth and calm in the 
stream of glory for four weeks. I now conclu- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



229 



ded that this would be my condition through- 
out my life, and that the tempter would not 
molest me any more. But here I soon found 
out my mistake, and had to go through the 
school of temptation. I still continued to pray 
in secret. At about the expiration of the four 
weeks of my happy days, I was in the barn 
praying as usual. After I had finished, I went 
to the house. When I got on the steps, the 
tempter said to my mind, " You have no reli- 
gion. You are deceived.' ' This set me to 
doubting. Upon" this, I returned to the barn 
and prayed to God. Whilst thus engaged, it 
was impressed upon my mind : " You are pray- 
ing for that which you have already got. Only 
be faithful. My grace will be sufficient for 
thee." 

I then concluded it to be so, and went to the 
house again. Just as I sat down on a chair, 
the tempter said, " You are deceived. You 
have no religion," &c. I instantly, arose and 
went into the barn again, up on the haymow, 
resolved to pray all night. When I began to 
pray, it was suggested, " What are you doing 
here? You need not pray. You are worse now 
than you ever were before. You can't shed 
tears. You can't feel condemnation. Look 



230 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



back and see how you could feel and weep be- 
fore/' Knowing part of this to be true, namely, 
that I felt no guilt, I began to doubt the truth 
of my experience. The suggestion was contin- 
ued, " Your heart is much harder than it for- 
merly was, after all your praying. You ; had 
better give it up ; for you will be lost, any 
how." ' 

I said audibly, " Devil! if this be you, get be- 
hind me. I w^ant to love and serve my God 
while I live. 7 ' I continued in prayer, "Now 
Lord, here I am, a poor ignorant boy. Thou 
knowest that my heart's desire is to serve thee. 

0 do thou lead me in the right way." And 
thanks to his holy name, he gave me a power- 
ful blessing. The tempter gave over for that 
time. 

I now went on my way rejoicing in the ser- 
vice of the Lord. Young as I w T as, my faith 
and patience were frequently put to the test. I 
met with severe trials from some of my school- 
mates. At times, when they would be playing 
and gamboling about like school boys do, I 
would slip off into the woods to pray. At one 
time, whilst so engaged in the woods, some of 
the boys, in chase of a rabbit, passed by where 

1 was, and saw and heard me pray. After I 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



231 



rose from my knees, they stood some distance 
off, calling out to me, "Have you chased a rab- 
bit in there, that you are barking at it?" Every 
scholar in the school was teasing me about 
barking at the rabbit. When they saw that 
they could not make me angry and get me to 
quarrel with them, in this way, they tried my 
patience in another manner. At one time, they 
threw me down — took hold of my feet — drag- 
ged me some distance over the ground and 
rolled me into a large mud hole. After I got 
out of it, I said, "You have made me muddy 
outside. This will rub off." Placing my hand 
upon my breast, I continued, " You can't soil 
me in here." 

"When I retired to the barn to pray, they 
would watch me and throw a handful of chaff 
into my face while I was on my knees. Such, 
and other different trials, I had to undergo in my 
youthful days. Their object was to make me 
angry. Had they succeeded, they would have 
said, " He has no more religion than we have." 
But the grace of God enabled me to bear all 
patiently. When enduring these trials, I was 
about seventeen years of age. I have adverted 
to these days of my boyhood, merely to show to 
the youth who may wish to serve God, that 



232 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



if they prove faithful, " no weapons formed 
against them can prosper.'* 

In the year 1827, on a certain occasion, 
whilst I was plowing in a field, being very 
happy, as I was going up a small hill towards 
the fence at some distance from it, I heard a 
voice call me by name, Daniel. I stopped the 
horses, thinking some one was wanting to en- 
quire the road. But, neither seeing, nor hear- 
ing any person, I started the horses. Again, in 
a little time, the same voice, Daniel, was repeat- 
ed. I then thought some person wanted to fool 
me. I stopped the horses again, and leaning 
my back towards the plough and hearing noth- 
ing, I turned around and started the horses. 
Just as I laid my hands on the plough handles, 
I heard the same voice, the third time. This 
time, it appeared just above me. I answered 
aloud, " "What do you want ?" It answered, 
" You must go and preach Jesus to the people." 
I reflected ten or fifteen minutes, and then said 
aloud, " This I cannot do," and went on with 
the ploughing. This circumstance made a deep 
impression on my mind, respecting my call to 
the ministry. Sometimes I felt as if I should 
try to exhort the people to turn to God. But 
feeling my insufficiency for such a work, I hesi- 



KEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



233 



tated to take up the cross. I made it a matter 
of prayer that the Lord would remove these 
impressions from me. But they continued to 
deepen. The circuit preachers would often ask 
me to close the meeting with prayer, after 
preaching, which I did, and frequently I felt 
like giving an exhortation. Still I did not do so. 
I often felt condemned for not exhorting. At 
one time, during preaching in a school house, 
my mind was powerfully wrought upon, urging 
me to speak to the people. Fearing I should 
be compelled, through my feelings to speak out, 
I left the house before the preacher had finished 
his sermon. For this, I underwent a night of 
misery, being lashed by my conscience. The 
next day I promised the Lord, that I would try 
to do better hereafter. 

Sometime after this, another meeting was 
held in the same school house. A great many 
people assembled. When I came to it, I asked, 
"Is the preacher come?" It was answered, 
"No, he is sick." It was suggested to my 
mind, " Now, go into the house and exhort the 
people." Feeling my weakness, I did not go 
in, but left the place with as miserable feelings 
as a man can well have, which continued three 
days and nights. At another time, a big meet- 
16 



234 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ing was to be held at the same school house. 
Father Boreing, then Presiding Elder, on his 
way to it, stopped at my father's house, in Vir- 
ginia. Boreing requested me to go with him 
to the meeting. On our way, he aslged me, 

"Do you never feel as though you should ex- 
hort your fellow men?" I rejoined, 

"Why do you ask me such a question ?" 
He replied, 

" Father Guething told me, that he believed 
there was something of the kind working in 
your mind." I said, 

" Yes ! I often feel as if I should do so." 

After this, one day in my troubled spirit, I 
said in prayer, " 0 Lord ! I am incapable, in 
consequence of my ignorance in spiritual things, 
to call sinners to repentance." So he showed 
me in a vision, a broad road leading downwards, 
and becoming steeper in its descent. At the 
end of it was a precipice, which opened over a 
lake of fire. I saw crowds of human beings 
going down this road. When they came to the 
end of it, they plunged into the lake of fire. In 
the lake they were reeling and tumbling over 
each other, in constant commotion, like the 
rolling waves of the sea in a heavy storm. This 
was accompanied with awful groans, weeping 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEK. 



235 



and wailing beyond human conception, and 
charging of each other with their own damna- 
tion. 

On the other side, I saw a narrow way, as- 
cending upwards still higher and higher, lead- 
ing into a large city. People were walking in 
it in companies of two, side by side, and others 
single. Some had just got on the road. All 
were moving upwards. I saw one entering into 
the city, which w r as heaven, clear and shining, 
like a looking-glass when exposed to the sun. 
There were millions of happy spirits in large 
companies together in that place. I saw some 
there whom I knew in this world, before they 
left it. They had been very pious here, espe- 
cially one old pious mother Mary B. , who 

had often encouraged me, when I first set out 
to serve the Lord. They all appeared to be in 
a state of indescribable happiness. 

After beholding these scenes for some time, 
one said to me, " !STow, you know where to call 
men from, and where to direct them to. Go 
and exhort your fellow-men." "When I recov- 
ered out of this state of vision, I hardly knew 
whether I was in the body or out of it. My 
feelings at the time, I cannot describe. I want- 
ed to be by myself. I lost my appetite and could 



236 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



not sleep at night. My brother David slept 
with me then. I heard him say to father, " I 
don't believe Daniel sleeps much. He is rest- 
less and moans much all night." My pillow 
was often wet from my tears. That summer, I 
was afflicted with the dyspepsy. My father 
thought I would not live out the summer. Af- 
ter some doctoring, I recovered. 

On New Years' day, 1830, a quarterly meet- 
ing was held fifteen miles from our house, at a 
place called the Narrow Passage Creek. Bore- 
ing was there. At the time of our former con- 
versation, he had said, that if I felt like exhort- 
ing at any meeting where he was, I should tell 
him so. At this meeting, I told him I felt as 
though I ought to exhort now. At his request, 
I delivered an exhortation for the first time in 
my life. While I was speaking, though with 
much fear and trembling, I felt the power of 
God in my soul, which encouraged me to per- 
severe. At this quarterly conference, January 
2nd, I was licensed as an exhorter in the Church 
of the United Brethren in Christ. I went home 
rejoicing on my way, exclaiming with the poet, 

" Jesus all the day long, is my joy and my song, 
0 that all his salvation might see." 

In this frame of mind I continued until the 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



237 



year 1832, when Satan one day made another 
attack upon me, by insinuating that all my 
former calls and visions were delusive ; that I 
was altogether deceived by them. This caused 
a cloud to come over my mind. I went on my 
knees to pray, I know not how often that day. 
Still I did not obtain the victory then. This 
trial of my faith lasted during the winter. 
"When I would go out into the fields — woods — 
barn, &c, it was suggested, " You had better 
put an end to your troubles, by taking your 
life," &c. In this way I was buffeted by the 
tempter for many months. 

There was one place, on a high hill in a field, 
to which I used to resort to read and pray. 
There stood there a young thriving Mulberry 
tree, and a Locust stump under it, on which I 
sat and read. In this way I continued to be 
exercised, sometimes happy, and then again 
doubting my call to warn sinners. One Sunday 
morning, in 1833, I was very much troubled 
concerning my call, and reflected over the past, 
what I had seen — heard, and experienced ; and 
casting my mind around me and beholding how 
many unconverted sinners were going down 
the broad road into the lake of fire, my heart 
was moved afresh and drawn out in their behalf 



238 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



more than ever before. With such feelings, I 
went up to the hill before mentioned, and 
kneeled under the Mulberry tree, holding the 
Bible in my right hand, and the hymn book in 
my left. With both arms extended towards 
heaven, I prayed, saying : " 0 Lord ! thou 
knowest I want to submit to thy will. If it is 
thy will, that I should preach the gospel, I 
humbly beseech thee to give me a sign to that 
effect by means of this Mulberry tree. If it 
dies, I will go and preach. If it continues to 
live and thrive, this will be a sign to me that 
I shall not preach." 

In two weeks from that day, I attended a 
meeting at the school house. On my return to- 
wards home, I went to the Mulberry tree to pray 
as usual. When I came to it, to my utter as- 
tonishment, the tree was dead. The leaves were 
dry, so that I could crumble them into small 
particles with my hand. Oh! it is impossible 
for me to describe the feelings I' then had ! 
When I saw the tree in that state, I went home. 
My mother stood in the front door as I passed 
it. Noticing that I had been weeping, she ask- 
ed me to come into the house and eat. I said 
I am not hungry. I went to the barn. My 
father came to me and enquired, what ailed me. 



KEV. SAMUEL IIUBER. 



239 



I related to him my experience, exercises of 
mind, &c. We both wept. Father said, "If 
you feel it to be your duty to preach the gospel, 
I will not stand in your way, and will give you 
a horse whenever you feel disposed to go." 

Some time after this, I went with brother 
Joseph M. Hershey on the south branch Cir- 
cuit and delivered exhortations. In the spring 
of 1834, at an Annual Conference held in 
Green castle, Franklin county, Pa., without any 
request from me, I received license, bearing 
date April 10th, 1834, to' preach the gospel. 
My first appointment was on the Lebanon and 
Lancaster Circuit. I traveled as an itinerant, 
on different Circuits, for six years. During my 
last year's labors, I preached forty three ser- 
mons in four weeks. I have the consolation, 
to believe, that it was not all in vain. I know 
some persons, in whose conversion I was made 
instrumental, and although I have left the 
traveling connection, I still preach in a local 
capacity. I located in consequence of indispo- 
sition of body. My health is not sufficient to 
allow me to travel. Since my location as a 
minister, I have preached over one hundred 
times in a year. 

I will here relate some inatters and things, 



240 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



which occurred at a camp meeting, held on 
Jacob Hous' land in Virginia, August 28, 1828. 
I was there at the time. Fathers Newcomer, 
and Guething, and brothers W. Brown, W. 
Rinehart, with some other preachers, attended 
it. Newcomer preached on Sunday morning to 
a large congregation. When speaking, he wept 
like a mother over the corpse of her darling 
child. His words were attended with unusual 
power. Guething followed with exhortation. 
Newcomer requested brother Brown to preach in 
the afternoon. Brown hesitated, saying that he 
felt himself too unworthy. Newcomer said to 
him, " Take up the cross. We will pray for 
you." 

Wkn Brown had read his text and commen- 
ced to preach, Newcomer prostrated himself 
upon his knees behind Brown on the stand, and 
with uplifted hands, prayed to God, for Christ's 
sake,, to bless brother Brown, and enable him 
to preach. The congregation, seeing Newcomer 
in that attitude, were melted into tears. At the 
same time, I heard a roaring like wind above 
me among the trees. I looked up, but saw no 
appearance of wind. Suddenly, something 
came over the people, like a whirlwind. They 
fell over from their seats in the altar and out 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER, 



241 



side of it. The cries of mourners, struck by 
the power of God, became so great, that 
Brown's voice could not be heard. Singing — 
praying — and many conversions took place. 
Newcomer, in bis Journal, p. 319, says, u We 
had a powerful time at this meeting. Bless 
the Lord." 

I have had some hard trials from my uncon- 
verted comrades; but I could freely forgive them 
all. For they knew not what they did. My 
greatest trials, however, came from those who 
pretended to be brethren in a Christian Church. 
I pray the Lord not to deal with them as they 
have dealt with me. Times were formerly very 
different from what they are now. The old 
fathers kept the Church out of the world. But 
since they have fallen asleep, the world has 
crept into the Church. I was accused once by 
a brother preacher as being out of place, for 
preaching againt professors of religion follow- 
ing the pride and foolish fashions of the world. 
He said to me, the "pulpit was not the place 
in which to say any thing about pride." 

FURTHER PARTICULARS. 

During a time when I was preaching in the 
woods where Salem church now stands, fromEc- 
clesiastes 11 : 3, latter clause, "And if the tree fall 



242 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



towards the south, or towards the north, in the 
place where the tree falleth, there it shall be*," 
P. Miller, one of my hearers, jumped up from 
his seat and walked away. Reflecting over the 
text, he became deeply convicted, and after a 
while returned to his seat. His wife also got 
convicted at the same time from the same 
words. Next day they sent for me to come to 
their house. When I came there, Mrs. Miller 
w r as lying in bed in great distress of soul. I 
asked her, "What is the matter with you?" 
She replied, " Your preaching yesterday con- 
vinced me that I am in a lost condition, under 
condemnation. " I said, " It is right and good, 
that you should see and feel your lost state," 
and encouraged her to pray to God. I then 
sung and prayed with her and left. 

The next evening, in company with another 
brother, we visited her again, and whilst engag- 
ed in singing and prayer, she was blessed and 
made happy. Her husband had not yet obtained 
religion, and had some doubts respecting his 
wife's conversion; but shortly afterwards, be- 
came satisfied, that she was a true convert, and 
requested me to preach in his house, not far from 
Greenvillage. An appointment was made ac- 
cordingly. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



243 



Now, Miller was one of those kind of men, 
who are always full of fun, taking pleasure in 
playing tricks and raising a laugh at the expense 
of other persons, on every opportunity. At 
one time, old Mr. Spahr, father of Caspar Spahr, 
with other persons, were collected in front of 
Mr. Jacob Snyder's tavern in Chambersburg. 
At that time the street had not been piked. 
There was a large mud hole filled with water in 
front of the door. Miller mounted his horse in 
order to ride off, and reached out his hand and 
took hold of Spahr's hand, who was standing 
near to bid farewell. While in the act of doing 
this, Miller's horse, either through a wilful mo- 
tion of its rider, or from some other cause, made 
a sudden spring, and Miller pulled Spahr into 
the mud hole, causing him to fall flat on his 
face. He then rode off, laughing in great glee. 
The next time they met at the tavern, Miller 
had to treat Spahr to a horn, which put all to 
rights again. 

Miller, being a character of this sort, it was 
looked upon by the people as a wonderful thing, 
that such a man of fun and tricks, should have 
religious meetings in his house. So when I 
came to fill the appointment, there was an over- 
flowing gathering of people, and great were the 



244 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



wonders as to what was to be done. I preached 
as usual. Under this serm on, several of Mrs. Mil- 
ler's sons by her first husband, who were now 
grown up and married, got under conviction. 
I then continued to preach there at regular in- 
tervals. During these meetings two of Mrs. 
Miller's sons, with their wives, were converted, 
and the work spread throughout the neighbor- 
hood. 

C. Miller, son of old P. Miller, had meeting 
in his house. One Sunday I went there to 
preach. During preaching, a grand daughter 
of P. Miller began to cry out for mercy, and 
was blessed. Six other persons remained on 
their knees in prayer. The former shouted 
victory, the latter cried aloud for mercy, which 
created not a little stir in the house and, as 
C. Miller had not yet been fully initiated into 
such things, he took umbrage at them, and 
refused to have futher meetings in his house 
for some time after this. But, upon more ma- 
ture reflection on the subject, and being con- 
vinced that his wife had obtained religion, he 
got into great distress of soul, in consequence 
of his conduct in stopping the meetings. He 
began to pray day and night. It appeared, as 
if he had had a hard conflict with the devil. 



EEV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



245 



For one Sunday, being in great agony, he was 
walking about his farm with a large stick in his 
hand, striking the fence with it; then again, 
with rapid motions, cutting it through the air 
and whirling it over his head in all directions 
as if striking at an object. Some lookers on 
said, he was fighting with the devil. In this 
way he went on for some length of time, until 
finding that this kind of carnal weapon warfare, 
did not bring peace to his soul, he threw him- 
self into a fence-corner, groaning in spirit and 
lay there until he got the victory. After this, 
outward religious demonstrations did not dis- 
turb him. He became a pious and useful mem- 
ber in the Church, and is now living in Rich- 
land county, Ohio, near Mansfield. 

RIBS BROKE. 

On one occasion, I was riding in company 
with Christian Huber, towards Waynesboro', 
Franklin county, Pa. On the road, about eight 
miles from Chambersburg, we stopped at Mr. 
Jacob Whitmore's house. When I had dis- 
mounted from my horse, C. Huber said to me, 
" The shoe on your horse's hind foot is loose." 
The shoe was hanging with one nail only. I 
lifted the horse's foot, intending to take off the 
shoe. At the same time the horse made a sud- 



246 AUTOBIOGRAPHY QF 

den jerk backwards and threw me upon a sharp 
edged fence rail, which was resting with one 
end upon the fence, and the other end upon the 
ground. In the fall, five of my ribs were bro- 
ken ; two of them from off the breast bone ; 
two in the middle of my side, and the other one 
about three inches from my back bone. After 
I was helped to the house, I drank a pint bowl 
full of cold spring water, mixed with a handful 
of rye flour. This I did several times before I 
left. I replaced my ribs, and then rode back to 
Chambersburg, stopped w T ith old Dr. A. Sense- 
ny, and told him my situation — intending to 
tarry with him over night. He said, " If you 
stay over night, you will not be able to get 
home for five or six weeks. You had better go 
home as fast as possible." He gave me a few 
rolls of Oxecrocium. 

When I arrived at home, the parts injured be- 
came more sore. I could scarcely draw my breath, 
and w T ith great difficulty dismounted from my 
horse. After entering the house, I found that 
my five ribs were all out of place. I set them 
to rights again, and applied large warm plasters 
of the Oxecrocium to my side, breast and back. 
During the night I took several more drinks of 
water and rye flour. The next morning brother 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



247 



David Oaks came to see me, and said, "Dr. 
Fahnestock requested him to inform me, that 
unless I was bled an inflammation would take 
place in my body." I replied, " I don't want the 
Doctors to take the blood from out of my body. 
I need all my strength of body to enable me to 
sit in a chair. For I cannot lay down in a bed ;" 
and added, "I have no fears about mortification 
taking place. The water and rye flour I took 
will prevent that, as it causes the blood to flow 
through the urine." This remedy I learned 
from a physician in my young days. It has 
often proven effectual in similar cases, in which 
persons have been injured inwardly by falls, 
bruises, &c. I mention it merely to show that 
simple remedies will frequently answer the pur- 
pose and prevent much pain and affliction. It 
was eleven weeks before I was perfectly cured 
of the injury I had sustained. I applied no 
other remedies than those before mentioned, 
and became strong and hearty as usual. 

About three years ago, I was bitten in the 
hand by a mad dog, and fearing that hydropho- 
bia would ensue, I applied to Mr. John Sense- 
ny, now residing on New England Hill, Cham- 
bersburg. He gave me a medicine which pre- 
vented any further injury. I would recommend 



248 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



persons under like circumstances, to apply to 
him, as he has a certain cure for the bite of a 
mad dog. 

ABOUT PREACHERS. 

It is frequently asked why preaching gener- 
ally is not now accompanied with the same de- 
monstrations of divine power, as it was in form- 
er days. Among other reasons for this, the fol- 
lowing may be assigned as one : 

In former times, God's ministers preached the 
word as it was given to them by inspiration. 
They trusted in God for help, and his Spirit 
seconded their efforts to the conversion of souls. 
But now preaching is done, in many instances, 
through indoctrinating, borrowed and artificial 
phrases. Flowers in the distance, foreign to the 
wants of the hearers, are employed. They give 
them dry — stale — moral disquisitions, frequent- 
ly heterodox, mixed together with orthodox 
phrases, the import of which the preacher him- 
self does not understand. Such preaching leaves 
no room for God's Spirit to inspire the heart. 
The head being filled with memorized abstrac- 
tions from other men's productions, and they 
having no substance in their own hearts, where- 
with to feed the sheep, and fearful of losing the 
track, they hold on in a mechanical way, heed- 
less whether it suits the congregation or not. 



REV. SAMUEL HUBEll. 249 

Thus such men go on, until their borrowed 
ideas are spent, and the people are not profited. 
And often when another preacher holds forth 
through inspiration, accompanied with divine 
power to the hearts of the congregation, these 
mechanical divines become jealous of their own 
fancied glory. They try to traduce — keep back 
— put down — crush — and annihilate, if possible, 
the more useful instrument, and by all such, 
and other means, they obstruct the cause of 
God. Pride and self esteem are the ruling 
principles in their hearts. The Spirit of God 
is not in them. He does not work through 
them. They are not called of God to the work 
to which they have aspired. The old and pres- 
ent true gospel preachers obtained their creden- 
tials for the ministry through gospel religion. 
But now, in this present day of refinement, 
some aspirants to clerical orders have crept into 
a clerical coat through the mere cabbaging of 
other men's ideas. Such exist upon borrowed 
capital, having no ballast of their own to keep 
them afloat ; for which reason also they become 
mere drones in the Church. All true divines 
preached and still preach for the benefit of souls. 
That was and is their sole object and aim. But 
now, preaching is followed by many as a busi- 
1T 



250 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



ness, by means of which to procure a livelihood, 
while, at the same time, souls are perishing 
under their unconverted ministrations. These 
are some of the prevailing causes, why preach- 
ing, in many cases, is not accompanied with the 
same power as it formerly was. 

I do not wish to be understood to intimate, 
that there are no real gospel preachers in the 
present day. I know there are some, who are 
called of God to the work, and are preaching in 
the good old way with success. They are doing 
much good, and it is through them, that the 
spirit of true religion is kept alive in the Church. 
Were it not for such men, piety would long 
since have died out, and the Church become a 
mere form, without the power. I would most 
sincerely exhort all true ministers and brethren 
in the gospel, of every denomination, to hold 
fast to the old "landmarks/' and not to diverge 
from them one inch, notwithstanding the oppo- 
sition that may be waged against them by the 
would-be new light aspirants to the gospel min- 
istry. 

At a meeting held near my residence on one 
occasion, brother Newcomer preached in Ger- 
man, at 10 o'clock, A. M. After he had closed, 
brother J efierson, a Methodist preacher, follow- 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER* 



251 



eel in English. In his discourse, he related a 
circumstance worthy of record. He said, " that 
in the State of New York, at one time, there 
was a certain man nearly one hundred years of 
age, who desired his descendants to assemble 
with him on the very day he would become one 
hundred years old. For this purpose, he sum- 
moned them to meet him at a certain place, at 
that time. 

Accordingly, his children, grand children, 
great grand children, and other relatives, com- 
posing no small number, met him as desired. 
They all went with him to a field, where there 
was a very large tree standing, He requested 
them to stand under its branches, and then, 
with an axe in hand, approached the tree, say- 
ing, ' that he was going to chop it down, so that 
his descendants could say in after times, that 
their father had felled a large tree on the very 
day he became one hundred years of age.'— 
At the instant in which he raised the axe, in 
order to make the first cut in the tree, the fol- 
lowing words w6re impressed upon his mind 
with great force, viz : " But the sinner being 
an hundred years old shall be accursed.' He 
made a sudden pause, and asked the bystand- 
ers, 6 Whether such words were to be found in 



252 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



the Bible ?' at the same time repeating them. 
He was told that the words were written in the 
Bible, Isaiah 65 : 20, latter clause. Upon re- 
ceiving this information, the old transgressor 
dropped his axe, and falling upon his knees 
under the tree, began to pray, crying aloud for 
mercy. 

Seeing their aged progenitor in this situation 
his descendants became deeply affected, and 
some of them knelt in prayer with him. After 
some time spent in this way, the old man got 
religion, under the same tree which he had in- 
tended to chop down, on his one hundreth birth 
day. But inasmuch as he was cut down him- 
self, and raised up again, his descendants and 
relatives left the tree standing as a memento to 
future generations, that their ancestor was con- 
verted under it on that self same day. This 
circumstance being of such an extraordinary 
nature, produced a deep religious excitement, 
principally among old sinners, so that a great 
revival of religion took place, and many old and 
young converts were made, and added to the 
Church of God." 



REV. SAMUEL HUBER. 



253 



CONCLUSION. 

On this first day of March, 1858, lam seventy- 
six years and one month old. About forty odd 
years of this time, I have endeavored, in my 
weak manner, to preach the Gospel, as recorded 
in part in the foregoing pages. During twelve 
years of this period I acted as Presiding Elder. 
By my first wife I had two children, as stated 
in Chapter XV. On the 27th of October, 1857. 
I was married the second time, by the Eev. 
Daniel Funkhouser, to Mrs. Susannah Grove, 
widow of Mr. Abraham Grove, deceased. 

During my pilgrimage thus far, I have met 
with much opposition in my religious course ; 
at the same time, however, there have not been 
wanting true brethren and friends, whose kind- 
ness and sympathies cheered me on the way; 
for all of which also I feel truly grateful. Still, 
some of my good brethren in the ministry, it 
appeared, had more sympathy for me than others, 
which was evident from expressions openly 
made, some years ago, in the Chambersburg 
Annual Conference, by a good brother who 
wished me in heaven before the good Lord 
thought proper to take me there. 2To doubt, 
the wish was well meant. But it seemed as if 
the brother was very anxious to get the old local 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 



preacher, " Huber," out of the way. or out of the 
Conference. At another time, like expres- 
sions, in regard to myself, were made by a 
brother preacher at Orrstown camp meeting ; 
and how more frequently it has been done, I 
am unable to state. So far, however, the 
strengthening grace of God has been my sup- 
port through all my trials, and through the same 
grace, I still feel myself bound for the kingdom 
of God above. 



THE END. 



Jk. CARD. 



The subscriber is now publishing an entirely 
new and original work, entitled 

A COLLECTION OF 

REMINISCENCES NARRATIVES — SKETCHES— INCIDENTS 

— ANECDOTES — RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES — RE- 
MARKABLE CIRCUMSTANCES; 

TOGETHER WITH 

BROAD HINTS AND CUTS UPON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, RELIGIOUS 
AND MORAL, &c. 



There are many circumstances in life, which 
would be deeply interesting both to the present and 
future age, if such were preserved in book form, 
and, by this means, handed down to posterity. 
They would thus become useful to descendants by 
way of reference and otherwise. There are but 
few persons, in whose life there are not some inci- 
dents worthy of record. But then, in many 
cases, there would not be sufficient matter, of 
peculiar incidents, to fill out a book. For this 
reason, numberless interesting circumstances are 
forgotten. In order then to afford an opportuni- 
ty for such records, we have now in progress a 



256 

work for that purpose. Persons wishing to have 
their religious experience, or other moral circum- 
stances in their lives published in this way, can 
have it done free of charge, or in some cases, at a 
trifling expense, if communicated either verbally or 
in writing. If the communication be by writing, 
it will be necessary only to state the facts in the 
case, and they will be carried out by the publish- 
er. 'No immorajj, anonymous or fictitious pro- 
ductions, however, will meet with attention. 
Nothing unfit for the chaste reader will be admit- 
ted. In all cases the author's name must accom- 
pany the production, although he can appear under 
a fictitious name in the work, if desired. The pub- 
lisher reserves the privilege to reject or publish any 
matter furnished, as he may judge proper. 
Eespectfully, 

JOHN DENIG. 

Address John Denig, care of J. E. Kirby, Cham- 
bersburg, Franklin county, Pa. 



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